Sleeping Beauty Through the Looking Glass
by mandymld
Summary: Elizabeth is being guarded by two people after she sleeps as the result of being drugged. Who is helping Jason protect her and what happens when you look at life through the distortion of a looking glass. In other words, what if the bad guys are good.
1. Chapter 1

Sleeping Beauty through the looking glass

Imagine if the bad guys were good...

**Chapter One**

December 31, 2001

Jason disembarked from the jet grimacing as the cold air hit him. He had returned to Port Charles after an odd call in which Sonny had thought he had hung up the cell phone. Instead Jason had gotten an earful of information that his apparently manipulative friends had been keeping from him.

"_Sonny, was that Jason?" he heard Carly asking._

"_Yes, relax, I kept my mouth shut, but you need to realize that if he were to call Lila or Emily they might tell him."_

"_Emily won't." she said assuredly. "She wants Elizabeth with Lucky just as much as we do."_

"_Carly, I am not so sure about this." said the clearly conflicted man who knew that this decision might create an even greater chasm then there are already was between the three friends. "Do you realize that if this blows up in our face, that Jason just might come after you and I."_

"_Why?" she asked clearly not getting understanding why he was worried. "I mean, he was just confused when he was in town, he would never, ever put anyone over us, over Michael."_

"_I just hope you are right, because if Jason was in love with Elizabeth..."_

"_He wasn't." she said confidently as she went to pour herself a goblet of wine._

"_What if he was?" he asked playing devil's advocate. "Carly if he really does have feelings for Elizabeth. For him to learn what is happening to her, that we know she isn't in complete command of her senses and that we are helping the Spencer family use that knowledge to force Elizabeth to marry Lucky... well you can kiss any chance of Jason returning to Port Charles goodbye."_

Jason had no sooner hung up then his own phone rang, looking at the familiar name on the caller ID he quickly pressed talk. "Did you hear?"

"Yes." he said grimly then after a heartbeat asked "I gather you arranged for me to hear it."

"Yeah, Stan did a number on Sonny's phone." he said as he looked at his co-conspirator in the room with him. "We are going to kidnap Elizabeth tonight."

"I understand, then I will publicly return to town as soon as she is to safety. Does she have anyone to take up for her?" he asked grimly as his mind thought about the mistake he had made by leaving.

"Her brother was in town but she keeps repeating this mantra that she doesn't want to be free that she wants to marry Lucky. The old lady called him when she decided that Elizabeth was acting strangely. Mrs. Hardy would help, but she is frail, Morgan." said the man on the phone. "She couldn't say more but one thing, uh, Jason your sister, well she is involved."

Gulping hard at that piece of information, at the idea his little sister would go along with this abomination, Jason said "I was hoping that Carly was wrong about that."

Across town, Jason made contact with the one man who had an interest in taking down Sonny more than he did. "Well?"

"Are you sure about this?" he was asking grimly. Seeing the tall blond in front of him nod, AJ said "Why are you so sure that I won't screw you?"

"Me, I'm not. Elizabeth, I am quite certain you wouldn't do anything to harm her." he told his brother. "What about my offer?"

"I promise." vowed AJ. With that, he went to the mansion and saw the bride getting ready to leave for the wedding with his sister. When the car wouldn't start like he had been warned would happen, he made the suggestion that he drive them over.

Grinning widely at her big brother, Emily said thanks then ushered Elizabeth into the back seat while Gia hopped into the front. There was a brief moment when AJ closed his eyes then looked into the rear view mirror and saw the blank expression in the future bride's face and that alone kept him from betraying Jason.

Driving towards the Spencer home, he saw the road crew where Jason said they would be and went to make the detour. Five minutes later, the car was highjacked.

Emily looked up in horror as armed gunmen surrounded the vehicle wearing black ski masks and black attire. "Get out."

All four of the gunmen opened the doors to the expensive BMW six series sedan. Gia's arm was grabbed a bit roughly and she was shoved away, same with AJ but before Emily or Elizabeth could get out, two of the gunmen got into the front seats and aimed their weapons at the young women.

Then a third gunman got into the back seat next to Elizabeth and held a gun near to her head but careful enough to make sure she wouldn't be hurt. Nodding at the getaway driver, he didn't say a word as the car drove off, the automatics locks sealing the two women in the car with the men. They never noticed the other man disappearing while AJ went off to make sure that Gia was distracted.

"Please, you are making a mistake. My brother will kill you for this." said Emily as she trembled in fear. "Do you know who I am? I am Emily Quartermaine, I am under the protection of the Corinthos organization."

The young man in the passenger seat looked her over then said "So, we should let you go. What about your friend, how about we keep her?"

Emily's eyes widened in terror as the man beside her best friend took the safety off his weapon. "No, look, do you know who she is. She is Lucky Spencer's fiancee."

"So unlike you, she isn't under the protection of the Corinthos organization is that what you are saying?" asked the same man wanting his boss to hear every single detail from one of the people involved.

"I uh, I don't think so but you don't want to mess with the Spencers, they are related to the Cassadines." she said while the man with the gun near Elizabeth's head was amazed at the blank expression on the younger woman's face as she didn't even react to all that was going on, there wasn't even a flicker of fear in her eyes.

"Well what is wrong with her?" asked the man upfront. "Your friend is acting stoned. Maybe she will want to stay with us, she looks like she likes to party. Those eyes, I recognize that expression, yeah, this girl is high, she is a party girl."

Emily was now frantic, she had to stop this. She had to get away and more importantly for her future dreams of being with Nicolas, she had to get Elizabeth to the Spencer house. "No, no you don't get it, Elizabeth isn't a druggie."

The man in passenger seat looked at the man holding the gun and hoped he was right and that the other girl would spill what they needed to know. "Seriously, either you are naive or you are a druggie too. This girl, she is out of it. Look at those eyes."

Emily couldn't, she couldn't do it, couldn't face what she had done.

She had been partly responsible for this mess and how, because of her, her best friend was about to face an even worse nightmare if she didn't do something to stop them from taking her away from Lucky and hurting her.

"I said LOOK AT HER." snarled the man in front seat. "DO IT."

Emily looked up, avoiding looking into Elizabeth's eyes, she ended up looking into the man with the gun's brown eyes. There was a familiarity to them, but before she could figure it out, her chin was grabbed until she was forced to face Elizabeth.

"Now tell me your pal isn't on drugs." sneered the man in the front seat.

Desperate now, Emily said "I didn't say she wasn't on drugs, just that she wasn't a druggie. I gave her the drugs, I did it. I had to."

"Well well, now this sounds like something I want to know." drawled the man while the man in the back seat was now tense with anger at the explanation the woman was offering up for drugging her best friend.

"Look, you don't understand. Without the drugs, she will run off, do something that she will regret." she said almost hysterical as she confessed to the man in the passenger seat. "You see, the hypnotic suggestion she was under, it was wearing off and if she leaves, my other friend will die."

"What kind of suggestion?" snarled the man in the passenger seat as he felt the need to throw up at what she was saying.

"To make her pliable to the... to the..."

"Spit it out, princess." she was told. Emily was almost in tears as she looked between Elizabeth and the man snapping orders at her.

"To the idea of marrying Lucky. She has to marry him. If she doesn't, he will go off and hurt people, a lot of people I care about." she said not adding that they weren't positive, that it was just his father speculating.

"Pliable, you mean... damn..." the man hated to go there, hated to say the words but they needed to know what exactly was going on with this sick little twisted mess. "Damn, you mean if I were to tell her to give me a blow job, she would?"

"No. I wouldn't let them put anything like that in there." she muttered clearly not liking the topic of discussion.

"Its sounds like they wanted to." he said speculatively.

"Lucky, well he did." she confessed then quickly added wanting them to understand that she was only doing this for Elizabeth, that it was for her sake and of course everyone else. "But its only because he was brainwashed, once that stuff is gone from his head, he would never want to do anything like that. Lucky and Elizabeth love each other they truly do."

"Doesn't sound like love to me princess, not if she has to be forced to be with him." sneered the man upfront while the man next to Elizabeth was as tense as a caged tiger while his eyes glared at her with a deep anger that she could almost reach out and touch.

"But she is just confused, she was a mess because of everything that was happening. Its why she thought she was in love with this other man, if she was in her right mind, well she would know, that Lucky and her have a permanent lock." she said earnestly.

Hearing the sound of the sirens, the driver looked over in warning at the other man. They were getting bogged down in stuff that really didn't matter, all they needed to know was what drugs were used and how they had got them to drug the innocent young woman.

"So, pretty lady, how about this. In exchange for freedom, you tell me how you got the drugs and why?" he asked trying not to reach out and grab her by the throat at the delusional thoughts coming out of her mouth.

"The hospital." she muttered wishing she had kept her mouth shut. "I volunteer there. Now let us go."

"No, I want to know why, I mean do you hate this girl, is that why you are forcing her to do this?" Seeing the clearly shocked expression, the man next to Elizabeth felt the need to slap this woman into the real world.

"Forcing her?" she asked clearly not understanding. Then her face cleared up as she said "Oh, you don't get it. I am not forcing her. Elizabeth if she was in her right mind, wouldn't walk away from her true love. She was brainwashed by Helena Cassadine into forgetting Lucky and loving my brother."

"Why would this Helena care about your brother?" he asked trying not to look at the very angry man in the back seat who looked like he was having the same very pain filled thoughts he was. .

"She doesn't, at least... well I don't know why she used Jason. I mean we thought she wanted Elizabeth with Nik, but something has to have been done to Elizabeth. There is no way she would chose Jason over Lucky, none at all."

Pulling to a stop, the doors were unlocked and Emily was breathing a sigh of relief as she was told to get out and take her friend with her. Emily hopped out and was reaching for Elizabeth when they heard the sirens closer and closer.

"The police, we have to get out of here." snarled the driver and before Emily could reach Elizabeth she ended up spinning away from the car as a gun was fired over her head. Diving for the pavement, she was shouting no when the car drove off and the door slammed closed with Elizabeth still in it with the hijackers.

Hearing the police sirens, she had barely looked up when the car drove right on by chasing after the men who had stolen AJ's BMW and had kidnapped Elizabeth.

Then there was the sound of a crash not that far away then the ground shuddered and she screamed when she saw the fireball in the sky. Running towards it, she arrived on the next block just in time to see the car explode yet again. Hearing more sirens, she saw the police car she had seen chase after them stopped mere feet away as the car her best friend had been in was ablaze.

Unable to move, unable to say a word as the firetrucks arrived and put out the flames, she never noticed as Mac Scorpio had arrived and had told the medics to cover her.

"Emily, was Elizabeth still being held hostage?" he asked quietly. "And how did you get free?"

"They, they pulled over after tormenting us." she said unable to tear her eyes away from the fire that was still not out, as a truck bearing foam instead of water arrived. "They heard sirens and before Elizabeth could get out, they drove off."

The Spencer family arrived in spectacular fashion, all dressed in their finery as the fire chief came over to Mac and Luke. "The car was a diesel, from the looks of things it had a full tank of gas, then when it hit the generator. Well there will be no survivors. They uh, my men saw four bodies, two in the front, two in the back."

Luke's hopes were crushed as he could only stare with bleak eyes as the firemen finally got the fire out, his last hope of saving his family had just died in that fire.

Mac offered his condolences then asked Luke if he wanted to ride with him as he went to tell Audrey Hardy. "Is she at your house?"

"Yeah." said the broken man as he to where his son was standing with his half brother. "Sorry cowboy, she didn't make it."

"No, no you are wrong." he said. "I didn't die when Helena tried to kill me, Elizabeth won't die. She can't, I need her."

Nik swallowed his pain and helped take Lucky back to the limo. Riding in silence, he was about to get out of the car at his mother's house when Lucky looked at him and beseechingly asked "What am I going to do now?"

"Lucky, you were lucky to at least had time with the woman you love. I know how badly this hurts, but right now, we have to mourn the loss of Elizabeth, then help Mrs. Hardy bury her." Nik didn't agree with everything that had been done recently but he knew, deep down that they had only done so out of love.

"No, I meant what am I going to do now. Helena didn't have as much time with Elizabeth as she did with me. That doctor Sonny found assured me that the key to getting rid of Helena from my brain was helping Elizabeth get Jason out of hers."

Nik felt his jaw tighten as his brother went on and on about how he needed Elizabeth, even once they were inside. As the guests all felt sorry for him, for his losing the love of his life, only Nik knew that his brother wasn't mourning the woman he had loved, but the woman he had been depending on to fix him.

Sonny and Carly were trying to get out of there, both of them not giving a damn about how this affected the Spencer family, but both relieved to realize that with Elizabeth dead, Jason wouldn't ever learn the truth.

Across the room, Audrey was distraught, while Sarah was in shock at the news. She had arrived the night before, having come to stop her sister from making the worst mistake of her life. She had spent the day trying to get access to her sister, but had felt like the Spencers and Emily had played keep away all day.

Taking her grandmother to the hospital, she was not surprised when the elderly woman was admitted overnight for observation. Walking down the hallway, she saw Emily speaking to her mother, clearly upset at what had happened.

Sarah wanted to glare, wanted to hate Emily for at least having had time with Elizabeth today, but she felt to blame for what had happened between herself and her sister.

She hadn't gotten a chance to say she was wrong, hadn't gotten a chance to right the wrongs before Elizabeth had died. Leaving the hospital, she went to the studio and stood there at the door, staring at the scarred wood and began to cry.

Leaving, she went to her grams house, just missing seeing a man exiting the small rundown building with a suitcase and directing several others to carry out a few other items.

Across town, Jason was carrying an unconscious Elizabeth into the large estate. "What happened to her?"

"You need to find the head shrink that Sonny uses. I want eyes on him." Jason snarled at Johnny.

The Irishman looked at the other Johnny then at his boss and said "Jason, you can't kill him, not without exposing the truth."

Bleakly Jason laid Elizabeth down onto the bed and then looked at his friend and wished he was wrong. "You are right, I just... I want them all to pay."

"What about Emily?" he was asked, both knowing that his sister had been hip deep in this mess.

"My sister too." he said his eyes back on Elizabeth who hadn't even moved. "She might not die, but she will pay and pay dearly. She seems to feel she had some kind of moral high ground because she kept them from letting Lucky rape her. What the hell is wrong with that girl?"

"I don't know." said Francis entering from the garage. "Jason, Sonny called, we have to go."

"Go, do me a favor, tell him you think he should call me." he said his mind already moving forward with the plan even as he regretted not sticking around to save Elizabeth that past spring. "Then have Stan bounce the call to Zimbabwe. It will get me some more time. Find out all you can."

"I have that list." said the short Italian entering. His smile faded when he saw the young woman. "What is wrong?"

"They fucking used hypnotism, I have to find out how long and what was exactly done then when it started to fade my sister fucking drugged her." Jason said bitterly.

"How do you want to do it?" he was asked.

"I need a doctor, but don't know who I can trust." he said. "Dr. Webber, Elizabeth's father is a decent man, he will take care of her, but I want to make sure that the doctor isn't connected to this mess."

"I have a name." said Trevor entering followed by his son who saw the man he had heard about over the years for the first time and realized that his father was right, this man was why no one had ever actually dealt with Sonny. "Are you sure, once you go down this road, there is no turning back."

"Do it." he said then Ric gave a slick smile as he said "I will make the call. You do know that Rome wasn't built in a day."

"I don't care if it take years. Sonny promised me when I left town he would protect her, I left town, believing he was keeping her safe." said Jason as he looked at the woman lying on the bed then pulled out the letter that had taken weeks to catch up to him. Weeks that had cost him and the woman in the bed dearly.

Holding it, looking at the worn paper, he then looked up and said "I want to burn Port Charles to the ground, just as much as I want to take out my so called best friends."

"Where do we start?" asked the women entering wearing a tight red dress and four inch pumps.

"We start with the person who decided that Elizabeth's word was no good now that she had decided she loved me. We start with Detective Marcus Taggert who she tried to go to for help." he said coldly knowing he could leave the mob stuff to Trevor who had his own axe to grind. He just hoped that the selfish people in Port Charles bought it; that they believed Elizabeth had died and she would be given time to heal.

Early the next morning as the Sunshine newscast and Wake up Port Charles were running stories about the tragic carjacking and death of Elizabeth Webber, the young woman herself was on a jet to a private cattle station in Australia.

Dr. Jeff Webber came out to greet the jet landing on the private airstrip and was soon met by a tall cold man who was carrying his daughter down the steps. "How is she?"

"She hasn't woken up, but she went into detox." Jason gave him everything he had done, written down precisely in the order he had done things.

"They had her addicted to these pills?" he asked as he read the list but frowned when the man announced that he believed there were other drugs that they hadn't found out about. "I will run a tox screen, find out what they were."

Jason gently placed Elizabeth in the back seat then climbed in beside her for the drive to the remote station in northern Australia. At the long low slung one story house, Jason was drained as in a monotone he told Jeff Webber all he knew.

"I know you want to stay, but you can't." he was gently told. Seeing the pain in the blue eyes of his ex-wife's son, he said "Until we know what we are dealing with, it is safer if you aren't here."

"I know and I am going home to start dealing with this, you might hear some things, please, please just believe that what I am doing, I am doing for her." he said looking at Elizabeth who was still unconscious.

"I will." he promised then they went to see his wife. "What do we tell Sarah and Steven?"

"For now, nothing." said Carolyn. Looking at Jason she said "I wish I dared tell her grandmother but clearly she doesn't want to know what happened for a reason."

Jason waited until the couple went to speak to their neighbor and get the rumors about home, then sat down at Elizabeth's beside. Holding her hand, he gently kissed the tip of each finger. "I am so sorry I didn't get your letter sooner. Just know, whether it takes a week, a month, a year, ten years, I will be waiting for you."

Touching her face as gently as possible, worried that Jeff was right and she would start to get withdrawal symptoms, he pressed a kiss to her lips and said "I love you."

Hearing the Webbers returning, he listened to what they had to say then asked "Are you sure you trust him?"

"No." admitted Jeff. "But then I would be a fool if I did."

In Port Charles, Audrey was praying Elizabeth was alive but didn't hold out much hope. Emily's certainty had her believing that things went wrong. Seeing her two other grandchildren standing beside her as they ended the service for Elizabeth, she picked up the urn carrying what they were saying were her ashes and quickly walked out to the car, using her grief as an excuse not to deal with the Spencer family.

Seeing the man wearing the black leather jackets slipping out of the church, Audrey found herself regretting how her fear had played a part in this mess. If only... a refrain she had been thinking a lot over the last few days.

When Sarah had offered to move to Port Charles to help her, Audrey rejected the offer, then Steven's when he made one a bit later. "No, I won't let my grandchildren be my crutch. I will be fine. Please, do me one favor. Just, just remember, remember her."

There was no time to grieve in Port Charles as mysterious things began to happen yet again. Luke was convinced it was Helena and had quickly gone chasing after her, while Laura who had been angry to realize she was stuck dealing with the fallout of Helena's last foray into Port Charles stayed home.

Lucky in spite of the fear of a time bomb in his head seemed to be acting normal, going through the _grieving_ process and helping out at his father's blues club.

Nik had announced his engagement at a party held inside of The Port Charles Grille. At the end of the evening, his fiancee who was drunk had ran into a blond who had just moved to town. Gia swore up and down that the blond had drove out in front of her, but the street cameras and the only eye witness said otherwise.

Courtney Matthews it turned out was the sister of mobster Sonny Corinthos and Gia who had not confessed had had big brother covered it up when the blond who was almost at death's door, had a turn for the better.

Nik and Gia were planning their wedding believing all was well, when a scandal involving Detective Marcus Taggert her brother exploded. First he had been caught slamming Jason Morgan into a wall in front of a a reporter.

Jason Morgan who had just gotten off a jet from Rome, hadn't even been in town fifteen minutes when Taggert who had seen him at the airport had committed this crime in spite of there being no reason for him to even be in Jason's orbit.

Detective Taggert who had been suspended, fired and under the threat of being sued by Mr. Morgan's attorney Alexis Davis had left town, but the cloud of scandal hadn't only ruined his life, it had cost his sister her engagement when what he had done for her had come out.

Gia quickly left town, unaware that she had been the lucky one as Jason began to maneuver his sister out of Zander's orbit and into the orbit of her long time crush.

Sonny smiled as Jason entered the penthouse. "So, did you deal with Zander?"

"He is done." he said then held Carly when she rushed into his arms and insisted he join them for dinner, that Sonny's sister would be there and that since Carly and she would be gossiping, Sonny could use the company. "I am having dinner with Emily tonight."

Wanting to protest, but knowing she had to be careful, well aware that Jason had been upset at the news of Elizabeth Webber's death, Carly just waited until he was gone. "Well?"

"Relax, Carly. Jason has no idea what was going on in his absence." Sonny assured her. "And if you want him to date Courtney, you have to stop throwing her at him."

Zander who was not happy to be in a jail cell was even angrier when Mac Scorpio didn't believe him when he had said he had something to trade for his freedom.

"Zander, what could you possibly have?" he asked. "We both know that Morgan and Corinthos would change anything you possibly knew."

"How about this, I know that Lucky Spencer is sniffing around your daughter. Your underage daughter." he taunted the police commissioner.

Mac told him that knowing that wouldn't help get him free but after Zander was suddenly bailed out by Roy DeLuca, Mac went to speak to Felicia who was stunned when after tailing Maxie she saw it was true.

"Oh my god, she is sleeping with him, Mac. She isn't even sixteen." She said still in shock at what she had seen.

"If we arrested him, he becomes a martyr and we are the bad guys." he said despairingly.

"How about this,I am working a case for Lady Jane, she invited us to come to Australia." said Felicia.

Agreeing to let them go, Mac went to the station and pretended to be surprised when the girls showed up protesting. But that ended two days later when Lucky in a fit of rage almost stabbed Maxie.

The broken blond and her younger sister quickly were packed off to the Jacks Family cattle station in the middle of their mining concerns unaware that Jerry Jacks had come back to town to investigate and had only interfered because it affected his plan to take down the Spencers.

Emily looked across the table at her big brother, with a broad smile on her face as she said "I am so glad you are back Jason, I missed you."

Reaching out, steeling himself not to explode on her he said "I am only sorry I couldn't have prevented your losing Elizabeth."

Emily kept how delusional her best friend had been at the end to herself as she said "It was terrible Jason, it was her wedding day. The day she had waited for for years. The day she was going to finally be Mrs. Lucky Spencer. She was so excited."

Well aware that his sister was living on planet Spencer which wasn't even in the same solar system as earth, he gritted his teeth as she went on for almost twenty minutes, then had to dig deep for even more control as he heard her self satisfaction as she said "And I did it, I was the one who finally fixed things for the two of them. So, how are you Jason. Did you meet anyone while traveling."

He was afraid what would come out of his mouth, suddenly grateful when his phone rang. "We figured out it, well in truth, your parents did. They had an audit done because they notice drugs are missing from the dispensary though they don't know it was their own daughter who took them."

"What happened?" he asked.

"Cassadine covered it up, looks like he was involved too." said Johnny, they had suspected the prince had known so they really weren't surprised he covered it up.

"Thanks for the news, but I am with my sister right now. I will call you back later." he said then with a half smile hung up and asked her how things were going with Zander.

"You won't believe it, he blamed me for what you did." she said in shock, unaware that Zander's dissatisfaction with her had been the result of his thinking he had a chance with Corinthos sister.

"Emily, maybe that was a good thing." he said then seeing Nik entering asked about his wedding.

"They ended after she had Taggert cover up for her." she said then realized she still had some feelings for her old crush.

Suddenly happy as she got that she had more than one fish in the sea, three really if she thought about it. After all, she had her best friend Lucky who was now unattached.

Emily hugged her brother and went off to chase her old dreams, unaware as the expression in her brother's face had turned to ice as he watched two of the co-conspirators as she debated flirting with Nik to see if he was interested before ending things with Zander.

Jason was slowly pushing Sonny over the edge when he got the call. Hating to leave, he went to Crimson Point and was shown the brunette. "Yes, she will do."

"You had a call." Antony said as he gave him the piece of paper. Jason went to the small office and dialed the overseas number.

"Jason, what did you find out?" Giving the man the information, Jason hung up and opened the drawer to where he kept the picture.

"Hey, you okay?" said the hard woman standing near the door. Seeing what he was holding, she said "I heard what happened to her. I just don't get it, why would anyone do something like that to save a worthless shit like that Spencer kid?"

Jason didn't say a word, just lifted the phone and made a call. "Dr. Webber."

"Jason." The mob enforcer could hear the bad news in the tone of his voice. "I am sorry, but it was too late. She slipped into a coma about two hours ago."

The woman saw his face and left the man alone, knowing he was going though something no one could comfort him for.

"The protocol didn't work?" he asked when he had gotten his voice back.

"No, I am sorry." said Jeff. "Her body stopped convulsing, her heart stopped racing, she is getting healthy from a physical standpoint."

Jason couldn't say a word, he just pulled out the note from behind the picture he used for cover, unable to imagine a life without her in it. "Is there anyone, any specialist who can help?"

"I am sorry, Jason." he heard as the man hung up and went to look at his daughter who was now hooked up to machines that were keeping her alive. "I told him."

"Did you tell him how bad it is?" she asked.

"No." he said. "I lied, I couldn't take away all his hope."

"Oh Jeff." she said rubbing his back.

"You saw him, you and I both know that the only thing keeping him from just going to these people with a gun and killing them is the small hope that someday she will come back to him."

_**TBC**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

The spring became summer and things were coming to a head, Luis Alcazar came to town with his very large yacht and parked it in the middle of the harbor.

Sonny who was now ratcheting up towards paranoid was telling Jason that they had to deal with him when he found out that Carly had once again lied to him. Kicking her out and threatening divorce, he was also realizing how attractive his lawyer was.

Deciding that since his divorce was on its way, he went to Puerto Rico with Alexis and they were soon having sex while back in Port Charles, Jason was sending Carly over the edge.

A supposed car accident later, Carly was hiding out and Sonny was back home vowing that if he only had another chance he would fix things with his late wife, that he had loved her very much.

Meanwhile Emily was kidnapped by a mysterious man working for the Alcazar family. If she had been thinking about it, she would have realized that most kidnap victims weren't treated that well as she found herself in a plush bedroom but unable to leave.

Zander meanwhile had decided that working for Roy was not going to work out for him so he had gone to see Mr. Alcazar and offer his services to help take down Sonny and Jason.

The man laughed in his face, then told his men to grab him and hold him in with their other guest. Making the call, he was asked to hold them for a few more weeks.

The Quartermaines were upset when Emily disappeared with Zander, but had no idea anything was wrong when she didn't return phone calls. Roy believed Zander was dead as he called Felicia who told him she wouldn't be returning from Australia. Calling his old buddy Luke for an assist he was annoyed when the man said he was in Greece, trying to find out what the old bat was up to.

Then it all happened as a one two punch, Sonny found out that Carly was alive when she showed up at her own funeral, claiming amnesia and that she had only just regained her memory.

Soon back ensconced at the penthouse, she had no idea that Alexis was going to find out she was pregnant nor that while Jason had covered for her, it hadn't been out of the goodness of his heart.

"Jason, thank you." she said hugging her best friend. "I just don't know what I would do it I lost Sonny."

"Carly, from on, just please, count to ten before going off on one of your plans." he said then went to Edward just as he had planned.

Soon the old man was telling the rest of the family who were vowing that either Emily ended things with Zander or she moved out of the family home.

"Release them." Jason said into his cell phone then went to his penthouse, entering the space, he had no sooner sat down then the call was made.

"Jason, your sister is downstairs."

"Thanks, send her up." he said then went to the file with the will inside he had created with the help of his new attorney. It had been dropped off by one of his targets right on time after they had had a call from the parents in regards to it. When Emily entered crying with Sonny following, he hugged his sister and listened to her tale of whoa.

"Emily, you were kidnapped?" he asked. Listening to her story, he made a point of looking at Sonny even as he comforted his sister. "They put Zander in with you?"

"Yes." she said.

"Did they mention Sonny or me? What about Carly?" he asked.

"No." she said shortly wishing just once he would put her over his friends, after all she was his sister. "We saw no one, the food came in on cart through a small elevator in the room."

"How did you escape?" he asked.

"The door was just unlocked and when we walked out it, we were grabbed and blindfolded. Then tossed in car and driven here." she said. "Zander refused to come in but I knew I had to tell you."

Getting her to describe the place, hearing how the hallway had looked like a hotel room, he waited until she had calmed down and suggested she go upstairs and take a shower. "I will get you some clothes."

When she had gone, Jason beckoned for Sonny to join him in the hallway. "Does that sound like a kidnapping to you?"

"What are you suggesting?" asked Sonny as they went to get some clothes for Emily from a reluctant Carly who only gave them up because she didn't want Jason to think she hated his sister.

"I think Zander is playing games, I am sure they were at some hotel, maybe that place on Sunset." he said. Seeing Sonny got it, he waited until he got the clothes and said "I will tell Emily but I doubt she will believe me."

Going back to his place, he allowed himself a small smile then when he saw his sister with a copy of the will frowning. "Jason what is this? It says it is Elizabeth's will."

"Yes, Alexis dropped it off." he said. "She had no idea what was in it since it was sealed."

"But Jason according to this, Elizabeth left you anything she had. Why would she..." Emily shut up, furious with her ex friend. "Well you know what you have to do, you have to give that to Lucky."

"Emily, I can't do that. Elizabeth asked me to take care of things for her." he said. "It will take little effort and I owe it to her for saving my life."

Emily wanted to protest but then asked "What about I help you take care of it, I would know what to do with disposing of her things."

"Let me think about it." he said with pretend reluctance. When she had calmed down, he gave her the news only for Emily to tell him he was wrong. "If you say so, but Emily that hotel is known to Zander from his time working for Sonny."

"You are wrong, Jason." Emily wasn't losing Zander, Lucky had made it clear she was in the friends category by chasing after that blond who worked at the club and Nik, well now Nik was talking about going to visit Robin of all people.

Jason hid his satisfaction when his sister called him back about forty minutes later. "Jason, Mom and dad said it is either Zander or living at home. May I stay with you?"

"Emily, I have a better idea. Meet me at Elizabeth's studio." he said then when she had; told her the news. "Emily things are going to be getting very bad business wise. It isn't safe being related to me let alone living with me. So I had an idea, why don't you move into Elizabeth's studio."

"Jason, but-"

"No, this way you can clear it out for me, make sure Lucky gets what he deserves and then you can take care of the rest." he said and soon had her agreeing. "I am sorry about them cutting off your money other than for school but right now, I can't just give you the money. Its too dangerous, how about this. You get a job at Kelly's, I can slip it to you as tips."

She wanted to protest but then thought about it, this might work. Calling Bobbie who without Elizabeth, was down a server agreed and said "I just hired Sonny's sister too."

Emily soon had her stuff at Elizabeth's studio, looking around, she quickly called Lucky and Nik and the remaining musketeers packed everything up and tossed it into the trash unaware that Jason had someone watching.

"Sir, it went into the dumpster. Do you want to listen in?"

Jason did so, furious as the three of them denigrated Elizabeth's supposed art work, complained about throwing away her clothes, and all the work it was taking to make the place habitable.

"And these were her friends?" asked a doubtful Johnny Z as the young man entered the small office. Seeing Jason's anger he said "Why the hell are you letting them do that?"

"What they are doing, its not Elizabeth's." he said sadly. "We went in and cleared her stuff out last week. I have it all in storage. But her so called closest friends don't even notice that something is off with what they are finding, I even put different paints in the room than what she used."

Carly was standing at the window as the lightning from the summer storm lit up the sky when Sonny's sister entered. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing, just... well nothing." she said unable to explain what she was feeling. Hearing the storm overheard, she went to check on her husband who told her he would be at the warehouse all evening.

In the warehouse, Sonny sat there looking at the photo taken out on the old bridge then at Jason who had just arrived. The other man had been busy checking into things sense the supposed kidnapping of his sister a few weeks back. "You took this?"

"Yes, today." he said keeping an even tone, not wanting to push Sonny too far just yet. "What do we do now?"

"Find out if it is true, if it is Brenda." he said as they began to plan.

Meanwhile Zander who was at Kelly's waiting for Emily when in the back the brunette was grabbed from behind and had a knife held on her. "Give me all your cash."

"I can't, I already locked up the register and don't have a key." she said her voice trembling in fear.

"What about on you." said the man bringing the knife down and cutting off her apron. Then shoving her forward, reached down and grabbed her leg. He had been told to make her scared, not actually hurt the girl as he said "Wish I had more time, you are one mighty fine hottie."

Emily saw the intent in how he began to reach for her leg and screamed, closing her eyes only to hear footsteps retreating then Zander arriving. When she wanted to call the police, she was told it would take an hour for them to get there.

Closing down the diner, they arrived at the building where she lived when she went to reach for her keys. "Oh my god, my keys were in my apron, Zander."

Using the spare set she had given Zander she was soon curled up on the sofa as Zander answered his phone. "Yes, I will be right there."

"Wait, where are you going?" she asked panicked but he just said he would be right back and told her to lock the door after he had gone.

When he had left, she bitterly pointed out in the silence that that would do a lot of good when the robber had a key. As the storm rose in intensity, Emily was cowering, terrified as every single sound had her convinced she was going to be attacked.

She called her brother and reached voice mail, tried Zander only to get the same. Calling Nik, she was told by Stefan that his nephew had gone to bed already. Dialing the last number, she was grateful when Lucky showed up.

When the lights went out, she was clinging to her best friend, when she woke up, she found herself naked and sore as she saw from the look in Zander's eyes as he stood in the doorway he knew what had happened. "I am so sorry, but I was scared, Zander. You left me, and I was scared."

Ending things, he said "I already called your parents, I am sure they are on the way with the limo to take their slumming princess back to her mansion now that things are over between us. I have to ask, Emily. What was I a substitute while you waited for Lucky to finally see you as a female."

With that, he went to see Roy and overhearing what he said left quickly and went by speedboat out to the yacht, sick and tired of being used by the people of Port Charles.

Jason slipped out to the Crimson Point Estate and after getting updated, went into the office and made a call. "Jason, your present arrived."

"Will you play it for her." he asked.

"I already started." he said then told him the news. "We had a specialist who is working to keep her muscles from atrophying."

"Do you need anything, anything at all?" he asked.

"Just check in on my mother, would you." said Jeff. "I hate that she can't know the truth."

"I will." he said then told him he had another package on the way.

Jeff hung up and looked at his wife. "At least I am not lying this time."

"You were right about her coma not being the result of something physical." she said. "I am just worried, Jeff. We don't know what was going on in her head for the last few years and with it being a mental issue, we might have to rely on those we don't trust to tell us the truth."

"For now, we will just keep playing the travelogue Jason sent. The machines are showing a difference in her brainwaves." he said as they walked to the bedroom with the sun shining in.

Jason had told them of her love of light, how she had dreamed of seeing it in Italy. As a warm beam of sunlight fell on the beautiful Italian red glass vase, Carolyn decided that it needed new flowers. Making the call she said "Anything but white roses."

"Jason, she won't leave it alone." said Courtney with a grimace as she met with the man she worked for. He had come to Atlantic City looking for her, having researched Mike Corbin an ex boyfriend of her mothers and had offered her an astounding amount of money.

All she had to do so to receive it was work at that diner and befriend Carly Corinthos, her sister in law and Emily, his adopted sister. She had also been placed in the car for the fake accident involving Nik Cassadine's fiancee, but that had been a cake walk compared to her life back in Jersey.

"I have an idea." he said looking at her speculatively. "How do you feel about being mugged?"

With an annoyed expression she said "You are aware that no man would ever mug me, most back off when they find out the truth about me."

"Just go with it." he said amused and the next day he staged a mugging and Jason 'rescued' Courtney.

The blond was almost sickened as she pretended to be infatuated with the man, they had been expecting Carly to protest, instead of doing

what they had expected, she had begun to throw them together.

"What the hell is going on?" she asked annoyed at having to deal with the blond woman and fake wanting Jason.

"I have no idea, with Elizabeth and Robin she tried to destroy my relationships." he said getting annoyed while at the diner, Emily took both Courtney and her being robbed as meaning they were bonded in some sort of sorority.

Pretending to get confirmation from one of Alcazar's, Jason said "Sonny, what do we do about Brenda? And what if we are being double crossed and he is lying?"

"Well I think we let her come to me." he said showing Jason the note he had gotten with a wide grin. His late beloved was alive and asking for him. He refused to believe anything else.

Jason meanwhile was hoping this worked. Setting the meet up, grimacing as he said "Are you sure it will work?"

Emily was upset as she left the mansion, she had gone home, expecting to be welcomed with open arms, instead her parents had decided that her living on her own was good for her.

She had been told that for at least twelve months she had to live in that horrible little dinghy mess and pay her own way or they were taking away her trust fund. She had gone to her grandmother, only for Lila to say that regretfully she agreed with her parents.

Edward had said he couldn't interfere but slipped her a thousand dollars to tide her over. Calling Zander yet again, hoping he would forgive her, she was thinking at least she wasn't pregnant as she returned to her hovel.

Two nights later as the rain began to fall, Sonny was standing outside of Queen of the Angels when he heard Brenda shouting his name and the word no, then saw Jason flying out of nowhere.

His enforcer lying on the ground, blood gushing out of him as about fifteen yards away Brenda was being dragged off. Looking at Jason, deciding there was nothing he could do for him with the sound of police sirens nearby, he went to rescue Brenda, telling Max to get Jason's body to a safe house.

Instead the guard was knocked out, Jason's body disappeared and Sonny only got a partial license plate as a dark sedan drove off with Brenda inside.

Returning to the church, he saw the police had arrived and had found Max. Looking around for Jason's body, not seeing it, Sonny went home in time to see Courtney struggling with the waterlogged body of Zander Smith.

"Sonny thank god. Why didn't you answer your phone?" she asked as she let the dark haired man fall to the ground groaning in spite of how much she worked out at how heavy he was. "I was trying to call you, this man, he said something was going to try and shoot you. Then he fell forward and went to sleep."

Calling for doc, needing to know what Zander did, he stopped Courtney from taking the man to the elevator and said "I can't let Carly see him, we need to take him to a safe house."

Soon the two of the guards, Courtney and Sonny were at the safe house, waiting for Zander to wake up. When he sat up, rubbing his head, he looked at them and said "Why am I here?"

"Who is trying to kill me?" growled Sonny as he glared at the annoyance he wished he had thought to have Jason kill when he had returned.

"I don't know." he said reaching for his head, he had a ringing in his ears, his body ached. "Last thing I remember was going to that yacht to get a look around to see what I could find out, there was a woman, with dark hair."

"What woman and what does she look like?" Sonny demanded unaware that his sister was thinking hook line and sinker at his falling for what Zander was telling him.

Giving him the description, Zander held his head and said "I think she wanted me to save you."

Jason meanwhile was thanking Johnny Z for being an excellent shot and he was being driven to the airport. Once in the air, he showered and changed counting the hours until he was in Darwin.

Back in Port Charles, Alexis was back in town from her trip to Greece, seeing she was pregnant, Sonny almost choked only for her to shake her head and say "Not yours, relax. I met someone while gone. A lawyer, his name is Richard Lansing."

Sonny didn't question it too closely, after all he had more important things on his plate as Mac demanded to know where Jason was. "On a trip out of town."

Getting no more from him than that, Mac demanded to know whose blood was on the parking lot of the church. "I don't know, nor do I know why Max was there." he said. "Maybe it was for confession, Father Coates does take confession on Saturday night."

Zander in the meantime had overheard Sonny talking to his sister and the guards and heard the news that Jason was dead. When he heard what they were talking about, he made his own plans and put them in play.

"Sonny, look, I don't know what I have forgotten and well am a bit worried about Emily. I know I can't go see her, just yet. Would you check on her?"

Zander had been intending on calling Emily when he had heard she had stuck it out at the studio. He had thought just maybe she was growing out of being the spoiled brat she had been lately when he had heard the news.

Courtney agreed to stay to help to Sonny's surprise. Taking him off to the side, Courtney had told her brother that she owed it to him. "You have been so kind to me since finding out the truth."

Sonny went home, his mind half on Brenda and half on his home life. Hearing what Carly was saying, he frowned and said "I don't want my sister in this business, Carly."

Deciding to work on him, she took his being preoccupied as being about that, totally unaware that Brenda Barrett, her biggest fear was about to rear its ugly head and that Alexis Davis knew her secrets.

_**TBC**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three  
**

Jeff watched as Jason loped down the steps from the jet and rushed to the waiting Land Rover. Driving back he got the blond man updated on his daughter's condition.

At the station, Jason entered the room to see most of the machines were gone but bright yellow flowers in her vase.

Jeff saw his fear and said "No, this is good news. All that she has on her now are monitors and those that make sure she is getting nutrients."

Sitting down next to Elizabeth, he saw how pale she was, and sat down then said "Elizabeth, I hope you can hear me."

Speaking softly he told her all the things he had kept to himself as he began with the day of Sonny's wedding to Brenda then onto their meeting at the box car. "I can still see you, recall how beautiful and way too young you looked."

The few meetings they had had at the garage when Lucky had been absent, to the day at Jake's. It was dinner time when Jeff came in with a tray insisting Jason eat.

Starting to reject the offer, Jason looked at Elizabeth then took the food as he looked around and said "Your room is so very much you, your parents were convinced I was insane when they saw the sofa I had brought in. They have no idea how much it means to us."

"My painting is hanging on the wall, Elizabeth. I know you can't feel the wind right now, but I wanted it to be one of the first things you see when you wake up." he said to the woman asleep in the bed.

Carolyn and Jeff had stood for most of the evening outside the room, listening to the one sided conversation. Jeff's heart aching for the young man who had only stopped talking long enough to eat. It was well past midnight when Carolyn came in and said "Jason, why don't you head to a bedroom?"

"No, I only have a month." he said "I don't want to waste a single moment."

"You need sleep, so does Elizabeth. We try to keep her on a regular schedule, with silence at night." she said explaining how they played the tapes during the day of his verbal travels but from midnight to eight am they let her have her silence.

"I will sleep on the sofa." he said pointing to the other side of the room.

Going to get him some linens, Jason waited until they were asleep then made the call home. Getting the news, he said "Drag it out as long as possible."

"We will, what about the lawyer?" he was asked in regards to Alexis Davis.

"She gets no respite from me. I don't want the Spencer family to have use of her services." he said from where he sat on the sofa, watching as Elizabeth's chest went up and down in a steady rhythm.

In Port Charles, there were rumors about the death of Jason Morgan in the press. The Quartermaine family said no comment while Edward read the police report of a lot of unknown blood found at a crime scene.

Getting it run against his, he was almost beyond happy that it didn't match. He watched, keeping a close eye on Corinthos and saw the man just kept going, didn't seem to be acting at all off.

Then he saw it, the chink in the man's armor and felt sick as he began to prepare his wife for the news he feared was coming. Instead things went to hell quickly at the penthouse.

Carly was moving to her mother's brownstone, sobbing at the news that Brenda Barrett was alive. Not many felt sorry for her, including AJ who was keeping a close eye as he did what he could.

He kept his nose to the grindstone, his eye on the prize waiting, watching for the right moment, the moment when he could put an end to the farce of Sonny Corinthos raising his son.

Skye was standing on the docks when she saw the man on the large boat and couldn't resist asking. "Why did you have to bring her back here?"

Luis felt sorry for the woman, her wedding had been a disaster, her groom had never shown up because he had heard the rumor that Brenda was still alive. Feeling bad about the collateral damage they had caused, he lied "I didn't bring anyone anyplace. I have repeatedly been accused of having this Brenda stashed on my boat, but she has never been on it, nor I have I ever met this woman."

Skye walked away bitter, certain he was lying but just as she reached the top of the steps, she saw a dark haired beauty come rushing down the steps past her and threw herself into the man's arms.

Stunned, she stopped and stared then walked away as the man was telling the girl who had called him dad that as soon as the boat was finished they could continue on their trip. Making a few calls, hearing the news about Sage from an old friend who lived in Europe, she dried her tears, decided she deserved better then that bastard Jasper Jacks.

Returning to the mansion, hearing Ned speaking to Edward about how they had to rescue Brenda, she went upstairs, packed her luggage then returned to the den.

"Don't bother, it wasn't Brenda on the yacht. Turns out that Luis Alcazar has a daughter. Sage is in high school and from the distance, she looks like Brenda. Whoever it is that people are seeing, Brenda or a lookalike, its not because of Luis Alcazar."

With that she got into her car and drove away, swearing that she was done with Port Charles.

Jax was stunned when he pushed his way onto the South American's yacht and after scaring the young girl, felt ashamed of himself as he went to find Skye and apologize.

Being told it was too late and that she was gone, Jax went to see his mother and father, getting that he was a mess and shouldn't be in a relationship with anyone just then.

For Jason time was going way too fast, as he realized they couldn't keep Sonny distracted with the fake Brenda for too much longer. With regret, he sat down beside Elizabeth and said "I have to go back. Please, please Elizabeth. Wake up soon. I am not sure if I will have a soul if you wait too much longer."

With that he bent down and pressed a kiss on her lips. Burying his head into her neck, he hid his tears as the pain of leaving her was almost unbearable. "I love you."

Walking like an old man, he was in the Land Rover, watching as a jet took back off. "Who else uses the air strip?"

"The Jacks family. They are on the other side of the Scorpio estate." he said. Seeing his eyes widen, Jeff said "Don't worry, neither brother nor their parents have ever come to visit."

"Why didn't Robert tell me?" he asked a bit worried now. "He swore that he could be trusted but he didn't give us a heads up about them."

"Hey, remember, no one knows that Robert is alive." said Jeff. "Its fine, they are seven miles as the crow flies to the west. To drive from their estate to ours takes almost thirty five minutes."

Jason was uneasy as he caught the jet back to the states. Making a call he said "Giveth and take it away."

Sonny got the call. "Sonny?"

"Jason?" he asked then breathed a sigh of relief. "Where the hell have you been?"

"I was shot, then held on some huge estate. They didn't speak English and were planning a trade using me. I am on my way from Europe heading home now. Right now, do we know what happened?"

"No, Zander keeps saying he was on the yacht and that he saw Brenda. Courtney who has been staying with him, says he admits his memories are fragmented. Who the hell knows what he heard." he said annoyed.

Sonny hung up and went to talk to his men. Giving them the news that Jason would be back in a few days, he missed seeing the one man slip out and call Edward Quartermaine. The elderly man breathed a sigh of relief and let go of his fears of his grandson's death.

When Jason arrived, Zander was told that he could go. Pissed once again at the dismissal when he had helped them, Zander went to see Roy only to find out the man had been offered territory by Alcazar and was heading to Miami.

"What about me?" he asked and was soon told what about him?

Furious he went to see Emily who upon hearing that he had been at a safe house and that Courtney had known, went to work and got into a slap fest with her so called work mate.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were playing nursemaid to my boyfriend. You knew how worried I was about him." she said as tears fell on her cheeks.

Courtney was holding her own cheek reddened from where she had been slapped when Carly showed up and defended her just as a man came in and asked for a room. "What is your name?"

"Richard Lansing." he told the woman.

"Wait, aren't you married to Alexis Davis?" asked Carly. "Why do you need a room?"

"Because my darling wife kicked me out." he snarled. "Now can I get that room or not?"

Getting his key, he went up stairs and made the call. Soon Morgan called him back. "It's set, can you make take care of the details when he get there."

Sonny was happy to see Jason back as he told him the situation with Carly and how they were getting divorced. Carly meanwhile had called Jason and said "Sonny found out I faked my death and now he has the nerve to want a divorce."

"Carly I won't get in the middle of your marriage. I shouldn't have helped you out when you faked your death." he said walking away just as on cue Richard Lansing esquire showed up.

Carly who recalled hearing he was an attorney stopped him and asked what happened to his marriage. Getting his answer, she said "I want to hire you, my husband is divorcing me."

Jason took the call then grimaced as the man told him about the club under Kelly's the woman was talking about opening and said "Do it, do whatever it takes, no matter the cost."

Meanwhile Sonny was convinced he was the only one who was right that yes, Brenda was alive and this time, she was reaching out for him. Getting a message to go their place on his Island, Sonny didn't remember to call Jason until he was in the air.

Jason put phase II in motion then went to see Courtney. "What is it?"

"Carly was here, warning me off." she said with a smirk. "Seems like she got some bad news regarding Sonny and a trip to his island."

"Don't worry, she will be back with him, in days." he said with a nod. "What about the other?"

"Your sister sees green every single time she hears my name. Smith by the way is sticking close to home." she informed him.

Walking away, Jason went to see Trevor Lansing who was blowing up his phone. "What was so urgent?"

"The attorney, once she faked the DNA tests like we expected, she dumped Ric but I knew I knew that name, that something was tugging at me. Alexis Davis aka Natasha Davidivich. You are not going to believe this one."

Taking the paperwork, Jason grimaced, so much for that plan. Emily wouldn't be believed as Alexis' child. Making a call, he backed Courtney off then asked why she was so distracted.

"Am at the diner, that man you wanted watched for he is in the office with his sister." she said then after a moment added "Uh, Jason his wife is here, sitting in the diner. She is acting strange."

"Really, well go tell Mr. Spencer." he said then told them the news. "Laura Spencer is finding out the hard way why you don't mix your drugs."

There was a three ring circus at Kelly's when Lucky who was walking an upset Emily to work arrived in time to see Stefan and Nik arriving from the docks. "What is going on?"

"Cowboy, I have some bad news." said a somber Luke while those in the place were surprised he had come back without telling anyone. "Its your mother. Bobbie just rode in the ambulance with her to the hospital."

"Did she... did she... why?" was the disjointed response of her son.

"They don't know, I am on my way there now." he said as they hurried to the hospital. Two days later, after every conceivable test, Gail Baldwin and Kevin Collins gave them the news.

"What does that mean fugue state?" asked Lucky who was given the same explanation as he was the day before. "What does that mean?"

Gail then dropped the next bomb. "Luke, her POA it lists Nik as the one to be in charge of all medical decisions. I spoke to him this morning, he agreed I could keep you up to date."

"That was big of him." he said sarcastically. "That is my wife, you tell me what is going on, not that whelp."

"Luke, we need to talk." said Nik who with an encouraging nod from his uncle gave him the news. "I am arranging for my mother to go to Switzerland, its the best clinic in the world for this type of mental illness."

"Like hell you are. Cowboy, lets get your mother out of here." said Luke as he pushed the prince out of the way and into the room where he had last seen his wife.

"Where is she?" he demanded.

"Gone, she left right after I spoke to Dr. Baldwin." he said with some satisfaction at getting one over on Luke. "Lucky, she will be getting the best care, something she can't get here in Port Charles."

Lucky decked his brother, then told him they weren't related anymore and that they would find Laura and bring her back. "No, you won't." he said.

Nik began to walk away, when Luke attacked Stefan and Lucky took that as license to attack his half brother. All four were arrested and taken to the police station with the Cassadines leaving with Alexis and well, the Spencers remaining in a jail cell.

Bobbie was in stunned shock as Monica comforted her. "Wait, are you serious? I mean after all this time for this to come up now?"

"I am sorry, Bobbie. My hands are tied." said Alan as he gave her her last paycheck. "With the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, the state governing board computerized a lot of records and your felony conviction turned up. As you know, you can't be a nurse with that on your record."

Leaving her long time workplace, Bobbie arrived at the Brownstone in time to hear Carly's latest scheme and that her attorney was now handling her divorce as well.

On the island, Sonny was walking the beach, lost in memories as he heard his name being called. Chasing towards the sound, he was soon diving under the waved, certain he heard someone calling his name.

When he felt an arm around his neck, he started to fight the person until he heard the Irish accent saying. "Boss, its me. You were drowning."

Looking at Johnny O'Brien, he said "I am fine. I can swim in under my own steam."

Once on shore, he looked at the guard who said "Sir, you were unprotected."

"I was fine." he said as he walked up to the house and arrived on the porch. Hearing Alexis, he turned towards her voice only to see no one there.

Inside, he went to shower, changed into his island wardrobe and sat down by the fire. Drinking, wanting to find that state of numbness he had lost so long ago, he couldn't help thinking of Elizabeth Webber.

He had sent her to the island to protect her, but while she had been gone, Carly had been furious about her being here. Then had come the news that when she returned she had broken up with Lucky. Had told him she loved Jason.

All had wanted to believe it was Helena messing with her mind, but Sonny knew, he knew what he had been part of. The worst part had been that it wasn't out of fear of losing Jason, but out of fear of losing Carly who it looked like he was losing anyhow.

Carly and Michael had been part of the most normal life he had had since the death of Lily. He had held on tightly to that idea of a family but now, it was like his bad mistakes were haunting him as he realized what he had let happen.

He wanted to believe that Carly was right, that Jason hadn't loved Elizabeth, but he had seen his partner since returning home, had seen how he reacted to things.

Something was off with Jason, something had shut down and he suspected it was because of the love the man had for the lost artist. Standing, he walked to the picture window, looked out and saw the woman wearing a long white dress and gasped "Lily?"

It was his last thought as a bullet hit him in the forehead. He heard the words around him as he was taken to be operated on, heard the doctor saying to put him under then it was like the words came at a distance.

Then very vivid dreams, then pain, then peace and finally he could hear the words again."Mrs. Corinthos. I am sorry but your husband is in a vegetative state."

"What does that mean?" Carly unknowingly echoing her cousin's question about his mother.

"I am sorry but there is no chance of him every coming out of this coma." said the doctor who then left her alone with her attorney and her husband.

"Ric, what do you recommend?" she asked looking at the man she was coming to depend on when Jason wasn't available.

"I will get the names of some treatment centers for his partner and you." he said playing the ever dutiful lawyer.

Carly frowned, she had expected Jason two days ago, but he hadn't come down to the Island, he had claimed to be busy with business but she needed him, needed his help, needed his support as she decided what do with Sonny.

AJ was beyond stunned as he read what the letter from the courts said. Hurrying over to the brownstone, he saw that Bobbie Jones was protesting as Scott Baldwin explained it to her.

"Bobbie, where is my son?" he demanded as he walked into the large living room. Seeing Scott restrain her from saying anything, he looked at the two men with him and then repeated himself adding. "They are here to put an end to this."

Minutes later, AJ was telling six year old that something had happened and he would be living with AJ's parents. "Your uncle Jason promised he would stop over and explain this to you."

The little kid didn't really understand what was going on as Leticia and the older man spoke then the woman who was raising him said she would be over as soon as she had packed up her own personal items.

They waited, just to be sure, then the man picked up his son, nodded at the nanny who had been the one constant in his son's life and they walked out the door while Bobbie stood there, wishing she could do something, anything to keep from having to tell Carly about this.

At the mansion, Jason did show up, after a brief discussion with Michael, then AJ and Leticia, he quickly hurried back to the penthouse, then called Bobbie.

"I heard, AJ called from your from stoop. I have spoken to Michael, but I also talked to the judge. There is nothing that can be done at this time." he said. "I will tell Carly she has to get back here as soon as possible."

Jason did that, then snapped when she begged to know how he could have let that drunk bastard take her son. "Carly, I told you to let the attorney handle getting Sonny home. I warned you that I was trying to fix something, you didn't listen."

Her jaw dropping at his tone, she said in a small voice "But Jason, what am I to do now?"

"Get back here." he snapped then after hanging up, went to fix the next part of punishing those who had been a part of this mess. Within hours, sure enough Alexis Davis had called him.

"Alexis, what do you want me to do? You are the attorney." he said.

"You don't understand they are talking about removing my license to be an attorney. I am in real trouble here." she said clearly sounding upset.

"I told Sonny at the time, having Zander help him with the custody case was a bad idea." he said while trying to stay calm enough not to blow things. "He said he had it under control. Why the hell would you file those papers with the courts if you had known what he had done?"

Swallowing her response, Alexis didn't bother to tell him she had been rather busy dealing with Helena, with everything that had been going on in her own life and with her own fears to pay attention to some voice mail she had gotten from Jason.

Zander was not a happy man as Mac Scorpio and one of his detectives brought him into Interrogation two. "Who are you?"

"Your attorney, paid for by your father." said the smooth man who had never met Cameron Lewis in his life. "My name is Trevor Lansing."

The next day, Zander took the deal, found himself going to jail for three to five years in minimum security and after writing his girlfriend a note that she would receive two days later, he would disappear completely from sight on a more permanent basis than the State of New York usually provided for assault with a deadly weapon cases.

Before he was killed, he found himself in a small room, being questioned on a multitude of things, his answers meant that his death was quick and relatively painless.

"Jason, he knew only that they were pressuring Elizabeth, not about what had been done to her mentally nor did he know about the drugs." said Cody Paul as he spoke to his boss.

"Corinthos should be arriving in a few days. I want the same set up for him once he is in the treatment center." he said while looking out the window.

Hanging up after getting the response he wanted, he let in the blond. "Its a go."

Grimacing, she said "I thought that was why you called. My luggage is outside in the hallway."

"Courtney, don't make the mistake of thinking this is anything other than what it is." he warned as the men brought in the luggage and he handed her the large gaudy ring.

"Do I get to keep this at the end of this?" she asked as she perked up a bit at the size of the stone.

"Like was agreed upon." he said then went to make another call. "What is going on with Alexis kid?"

"We were wrong about the blond from Ohio, she isn't the missing Davis girl." said Stan with a soft laugh. "Trust me, when Alexis gets a load of the woman she really gave birth too, well lets just say, she will be begging, I mean begging for it not to be true."

"Send me the file." he said then hearing noises outside went to the hallway where Carly was arguing with the guard standing there. Seeing Lansing with her, he pretended to not be expecting them just as Courtney earned her pay.

"Jason-" she said from the landing, wearing only a short nightie and looking like she was embarrassed, she said "What side of the cabinet did you say I can have again? I should have unpacked last night when we came back from my old apartment."

Not really caring he said "Just pick one, I will use the other. Why don't you get dressed, we have company."

Carly's lips were moving but no words were coming out of her mouth as she stared at the tableau in front of her. Finally finding the ability to talk, she said "Jason, why is Courtney here?"

"Sit down, Carly." he said pretending to be as gentle as possible. "Carly, Courtney and I are engaged to be married."

"W-what?" she asked, almost unable to comprehend what he was saying.

"Well she is after all Sonny's sister." he said. "Plus, I have found her to be a very calming influence on my life and well, I love her. I mean I am not getting any younger and I want children. I want to be a father."

"B-b-but Michael, he is your son." she said still trying to get past Courtney living with Jason.

"No, Michael is AJ's son." he said with a sideways look at Lansing who was about to start earning his fees. "Carly, the courts overturned Sonny's adoption of Michael. AJ's rights as a father were reinstated."

"No, no, he only got custody because I left the country, that's all." she said.

"No, Carly,you were declared an unfit parent, Sonny's rights to Michael were stripped away." he said hiding his satisfaction at finally fixing that mistake.

"But no, the courts should have given custody to you, you are Micheal's father, I chose you, you not AJ." she said insistently.

"Carly, I have no rights and to be truthful, I knew that back when I gave up custody several years ago." he said. "And while I will always love Michael, well, he just isn't my son. I want my own child, my own flesh and blood. With Courtney."

No one in the room would have guessed how that statement alone made Jason as well as the blond listening in gag at the idea. Ric was trying to keep his eyes on his client, away from the blond who had caught his interest the minute they had met.

"No, no, that isn't true. Don't you see, she is just a replacement, a copy of me who you aren't worried about hurting you like I did when Elizabeth caused me to sleep with Sonny." she said.

Standing, Jason walked over and reached for her hands while Courtney's eyes were laughing as they met Ric's eyes at how well Jason was playing the blond. When she offered to have a child for him, offered to mother his child, they were almost in tears with the need to say something.

"Carly no." he said. "After all, Sonny told me what the doctor said, I know that you can't have children. That what happened with Michael took away your ability to have more children. How do you think I would handle that, if something were to happen to you?"

Carly thought about it, then decided to that she would keep her mouth shut for now, after all, once Courtney the human incubator gave birth, she would just get her out of Jason's life and she, Caroline Benson Corinthos, would become Caroline Morgan, like she had always been meant to be.

"Ric, would you please take Carly to her mother's." Jason said then added to Carly. "I purchased the nursing home where Sonny will reside so he will get the care that he truly deserves."

With that, the two left and Courtney came down the stairs from the landing. "What about your family?"

"I want you to stay away from them, except Emily, you know what to do there." he said.

"I do have a suggestion. Remember what I told you about the owner of that club?" she said her eyes dancing with delight. "Surely, if your family were to find out about me dancing there, well what do you think?"

Jason thought about it, then weighed the pros and cons. "I will arrange for the guys to protect you."

"Like we have discussed before, I don't need protection. Plus I want it to look like I have a secret, one we can use to end this engagement." she said. "Ric isn't too happy."

Jason nodded and walked out the penthouse, he had been furious to find out that Ric and Courtney had met up and were having an affair, that Lansing had blown his cover with Alexis way too soon but this had worked out well as the two of them were marrying as soon as this nightmare was over.

In Australia, Georgie was riding in the Land Rover with Lady Jane as they left what had once been her dad Mac's family home. "What is over there?"

"That is a private estate. I don't know much about the owners, just that they are very reclusive. They have a doctor on call, so someone must be pretty ill." The older woman told the young girl.

"Oh, its a pretty house." she said as they drove past it and into town where she did some shopping, her mind on this poor person who

was that sick.

At the petrol station, Jeff was paying for his gas when the older lady pulled up and told the attendant to fill the tank. Seeing the young girl with her, he was careful to stay out of sight.

Jason's people had called to warn them about the Jones girls being on the Jacks station. When he had gotten back into the SUV he overheard the young girl speaking to Lady Jane and grimacing, wondering what they could do to head her off.

At the house, he quickly filled his wife in. "It will be fine, Jeff. We just explain when she shows up that our patient can't be seen, that while we appreciate the kind gesture, it wouldn't be appropriate."

When he reluctantly agreed, she said "We should however give Jason a heads up."

While Carolyn called the man in question, Jeff went in to see his daughter whose brain functions were slowly returning to normal and who would hopefully wake up soon.

Putting in the newest recordings from Jason, he couldn't help smiling as the man's voice filled the air and the young woman seemed to relax as thought she had been waiting for that moment.

In Port Charles, the Quartermaines were horrified about the woman their son was engaged to be married to; a woman who worked as a stripper, while Courtney and Emily were once again bonding.

Emily however had no idea what was in store for her as Courtney slowly played her in regards to Nicolas and Lucky until the two brothers were little more than a powder keg waiting to explode.

As for Carly, she was not sure what was going on, twice a week, Jason would pick her up in one of the old limo's that Sonny used and would drive with her out to see her husband.

Each time, she found him laying in his bed, staring at her, almost as if he was trying to speak to her. Blissfully unaware of the nightly visits from his old ghosts and from the men Jason paid to drive him insane, she was telling him all about her plan to win Jason back.

Sonny lay there, listening to her, wanting to do nothing more than reach up and tighten his hands around her neck as Carly admitted that she had lost custody of his son, had decided she wanted his ex-friend and so called business partner and basically completely betrayed him at a time when he was the most vulnerable.

_The mobster was barely in his new hospital room when he heard someone talking to him. Looking up to see Jason leaning over him, he had hope that the blond would see that he was still in there, that this idea of his being brain dead was a lie._

_Instead, Jason had just talked, telling him not to worry that he would run things, that he would make sure that everything worked out the way it should. _

_Just as he was beginning to get agitated, Jason had told him the rest, that he had fixed things so that Michael was at the Quartermaine house. _

"_Yes, Sonny I fixed one of my mistakes. AJ will raise his son, teach him that being a man is about fulfilling his promises, that it is about being honorable, about being truthful, about never taking advantage of those who are vulnerable, or those who we have promised to protect. All the attributes I once believed you had. Now I know differently."_

_When Sonny eyes seemed to be moving, Jason said "See, I only asked one thing of you before I left town to protect your family and you promised me to protect her, instead I found out the truth."_

_Sonny was astounded at the anger, at the outright rage in Jason's eyes as he said "I know, Sonny. I know what happened to Elizabeth and your part in it. I am slowly and surely destroying each and every single one of the people who had a hand either directly or indirectly in the mess. Old Doc Winters, well he died a painful death. Taggert who when she went to him for help, ignored her because she is my friend."_

"_His career the one thing he took pride in, I took away. Zander who could have protected her, he is in prison. The Spencers, well their pain and anguish is just beginning. In the end, Michael will be the only person in this town with Spencer blood who will be spared."_

"_Luke, well his nightmare is about to begin, now that he doesn't have you to hide behind. Laura's nightmare, well that will involve seeing her children destroyed but unable to do anything about it. And you, well I was debating killing you, but decided instead for you to feel for yourself what it is like to be trapped in your own brain, unable to stop yourself from what will happen. Then there is the added bonus of your claustrophobia, you are trapped in your own body, with no way out."_

_Jason saw the moment in Sonny's eyes as what that meant hit him. The man looked like he was almost scared. "Then there is Carly, losing Michael, losing the dubious prestige of being your wife, well she is about to see that was nothing."_

"_Oh, and I haven't forgotten Alexis Davis, no, she will be punished as well as my dear sister. For Emily, well she will soon see just how much fun there is to be had as the wife of one of Laura's children, I just haven't decided between Nik or Lucky."_

_At those words, Sonny gave up, if Jason was extracting vengeance from Emily, his beloved sister... well that meant that the godfather's worst fears were coming true. That Jason truly had loved Elizabeth and that his not helping her were going to cost Sonny everything._

Jason walked to the end of the hallway and spoke to Sonny's doctors, then returned to where Carly was now waiting so that they could leave. "Carly, they are not holding out much hope."

Dreaming of the day she would be a widow, she only came back to earth when she heard Jason calling Courtney. "Who came looking for Alexis?"

Hearing the name and hiding his grin at the news, Jason said "Well I will stop over to see her on my way to Port Charles, I am sure that Carly won't mind, after all she will understand that I really want some alone time with my future wife."

Gagging as she agreed, Carly gritted her teeth when Jason hung up and said that they had to stop at Alexis' new house. Arriving, Jason told her to stay in the car, then went inside. "Alexis, a woman named Sam McCall came to the penthouse since it was the last address she could locate for you."

"Sam McCall?" she asked. "I don't know anyone by that name."

"Either way, she is on her way here. Courtney gave her your address. Something about getting your name from a Convent."

With that Jason and she heard a knock at the door and the attorney gasped when she saw the young woman standing there, dressed demurely and holding a file. "Are you Alexis Davis?"

"Yes." she said but before she could finish, Jason said his goodbyes and left, amused at great job Claudia had done of turning a sow's ear into on the surface a lady.

"Who was that?" Carly demanded when he got into the back seat across from her.

"I don't know, but her name is Sam McCall." he said pretending disinterest, all the while wanting to get rid of the blond across from him.

Soon dumping her into the hands of Ric Lansing, Jason drove over to where they were already eating popcorn and watching the footage. "Well how did it go?"

"Alexis just agreed to Sam's suggestion of a DNA test." said Johnny offering up one of the beers he had brought in with him. "She is in shock."

Sam left and they heard Alexis who was out of frame speaking to the man they had already given the files to. "Stan, would you please check her out for me?"

"Will do." he said then when she hung up, pretended to do so all the while playing video games on the computer with his nerd friend who had already checked into Sam for Jason. "So kid, what do you want to do for the next six hours?"

Sam looked around the hotel room, still trying to wrap her mind around the easy money being tossed her way to come to Port Charles. The woman who had visited her had claimed to know her biological mother, had claimed that she owed her.

The con artist knew a good scam when she saw one and had contacted an old acquaintance and found out that this Claudia was angry with her mother for stealing away her ex boyfriend and getting pregnant by him.

But Sam would keep the peace, after all by staying quiet, she would get a good lay of the land in a town known for its rich men. Plus with the Zachara woman paying her expenses, including the rather bland wardrobe she said she would need to convince her mother, all Sam had to do was look around this town to find her next target.

Hearing a knock on the door, grimacing as she put the jacket that matched her outfit back on just in case it was her mother, she opened it and frowned when the dark haired woman entered the room with a man.

The gentleman with the salt and pepper hair, offered her a contract, suggested she read it and after explaining all the clauses, sneered when he saw her pout. "You were brought here for a reason, you don't get to wreck havoc on this town. You have read the consequences of trying to walk away from the deal."

Sam glared at Trevor, then shrugged her shoulders and said "You can't blame a girl for trying."

With a knowing grin, he said "No, you can't." The grin faded and he leaned in and in a menacing tone said "I am the last person you want to cross, because the person bankrolling me, makes me look like Prince Charming, Ms. McCall."

Around six weeks later in Australia just as Mother's Day approached, Jeff saw the blip on the EKG and made a call. "Jason, she is showing a change, not much of one, but a change."

"Thank you." he said as he took a deep breath and began to hope that the nightmare his life had become was soon to be over. It had been almost a year since he had rescued Elizabeth from her wedding, and he had been living in darkness here in Port Charles waiting for her to wake up.

Hanging up, he saw the inquiring expression and told Courtney. "Just some good news."

"So any chance we are almost done?" she asked then awkwardly gave him the news. "I uh I have news that isn't going to make you happy."

"That you are pregnant." he said with a slight frown. Seeing her shock, he gave smile that would almost pass as a grimace, he said "Carly lived with me when pregnant with my nephew."

"Micheal right?" she said with a bright smile on her face. "I met him at the park with his dad. He seems pretty happy to be living at the mansion now. So if nothing else that is two good things that came out of this mess."

"Two?" he asked.

"Oops, I was counting Ric and I in that." she confessed. "By the way, thanks for doing what you did."

"No, I owe both of you." he said his mind on how often she covered for him with Carly, while he was making voice recording after voice recording of travel guides for Elizabeth. Then with a sudden thought he asked. "How do you feel about having your pregnancy become public?"

"I get what you want, but Jason, I don't trust Carly." she confessed then called Ric to ask his opinion only for her husband to tell her that it would be fine. "She would be quite happy to find out you are pregnant, she is going to only become a danger when you give birth but we will be gone by then."

Looking at Jason, after she hung up, Courtney said "I will make the appointment. What happens after that?"

"We go public with your "affair" with Ric and the two of you leave town wealthy beyond imagination." he said.

Ducking her head, recalling why she had gotten into this during this man's trip to New Jersey, she felt ashamed at the deal she had originally made. "No, Ric and I talked out about this. He had a nice inheritance from his mother, and while I will accept the originally agreed upon amount, that is all we want."

Seeing the skepticism, Courtney said "I have heard you Jason, make those tapes, heard the words. You love this woman, and having been here in this town, I find it hard to be so mercenary about this. They hurt her, and deserve to pay. I just want the house in Spain you offered."

Jason saw the sincerity and said "It is ready and waiting. Now Johnny is going with you to the doctors, just in case. I will see you tomorrow."

Watching him walk towards the door, Courtney hesitated and said "Jason, she will wake up, and she will come home to you. Right now, though, Sleeping Beauty just needs her rest."

Nodding, not trusting himself to say a word, Jason left and went to meet up with Trevor Lansing. "Did you hear about your son?"

"Yes, Richie gave me the news last night." Being told the latest, Trevor said "What is the purpose of setting it up for Courtney and Ric to be cheating?"

"That is about Alexis, she gave birth to a little girl the other day, with her newest daughter by her side." he said with a smirk. "Ric not being the father will be coming out soon after the Courtney baby news."

Still not getting it, Trevor looked at Jason then it hit him. "You son of a bitch. With Courtney gone, Carly will make a play for you."

"So will Ms. McCall, at which time, Emily who can't stand her for what is about to happen with Nik, will be all for investigating Sam, and she will find a kind and helpful soul to do so for her. One Damien Spinelli."

"And Alexis will get to see her daughter in all her glory, and just in time, a certain patient will need surgery and I have just the specialist in mind to help." he said his mind on his ex-girlfriend Robin and how he was sure she would want to help Sonny.

At the hospital, Nik was feeling rather uneasy around his so-called cousin after they had had sex. He had been dealing with the senseless death of his Uncle Stefan in Greece and had picked up a woman at Jake's that spring.

Two days later he had been introduced to his aunt's illegitimate daughter and had almost gagged in disgust. His only saving grace was that she looked just as freaked out as he was.

They had spent the last few weeks avoiding each other. Hearing Emily talking to Alexis, announcing their engagement, he winced at how happy she was. In truth, Nik hadn't been asking her to marry him, he had instead been showing her the ring he had found in his uncle's safe but she had misinterpreted things.

"Oh, Alexis, Kristina is so beautiful." said Emily with a happy smile on her face. She looked at Sam and hid her frown as she asked her if she didn't agree.

"Yes, my little sister is just wonderful." she said then heard the sound of footsteps outside the door. Looking up at the uppity blond named Carly Corinthos pushed her way in, she saw Emily frown at the other woman.

"Carly what is your problem?" Emily cried out as she was shoved out of the way.

Carly looked at the baby in the bassinet and then at Alexis and said "You lying bitch. I know what you did. I overheard Ric and you talking earlier."

Groaning because she had thought she was safe from dealing with the craziness of the Corinthos family, Alexis said "What are you talking about Carly?"

"I know, you slept with Sonny then found out he had a brother. I know that you didn't tell Ric until today that you had found out. I know that that infant is Sonny's child not your supposed ex-husband Ric Lansing's." she cried out and then added "You are going to pay for this. You just wait, when Sonny wakes up, we will go for custody and you will lose that child to the people who should have been her real parents."

"Carly, Sonny is in a permanent vegetative state." said Emily while looking at Nik who looked a bit restless and like he knew something she didn't. "Wait, what do you know?"

With a deep breath, Nik said "Robin Scorpio called, she is on her way to town, she has a drug protocol that will wake him up, will heal the damage done to his brain with some surgery afterwords."

Looking at his aunt, wishing he had known about Sonny being Kristin's father before, he would have rejected Robin's request to come to the hospital, he said "There is at least a eighty percent chance he will be fine."

_**TBC**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Five**

Down the hall, another scene was playing out, one with a much happy trio as Courtney "confessed" to Jason about her affair in front of his parents and Bobbie Jones who had been there to see her daughter who was in with Sonny.

"I am so sorry, Jason. But you have refused to be a husband in the ways that matter and well I fell in love with Ric."

Pretending anger, Jason said "I told you I wanted to wait until we were married to have sex, I can't believe you did this to me."

With that, he reached for her arm and escorted her to a private room.

Meanwhile Alan was breathing a sigh of relief while Bobbie was already trying to reach Carly when Monica hit the end button on the phone. "Bobbie, Jason won't be changing his mind, he already promised AJ he would never again help Carly take Michael away from his father."

Carly who was walking down the hallway, already plotting on making Alexis pay, heard her mother's response and snapped "Wait, Courtney cheated on Jason? And she is pregnant?"

Getting the news, completely confused as to why Jason would wait until after marriage to have sex, she said "Wait, where is he, he has to be devastated."

"Courtney and he walked off for some privacy." said Alan who then added "Carly, Michael was your only hold on my son, he is back where he belongs and you won't be using Jason to get him back."

"You, you just wait and see. Now that yet another woman has betrayed Jason, he will know, he will know that I am the only woman who has been there for him through thick and thin." she said proudly as she stomped off to find her best friend, he surely needed her.

Emily was leaving her mother's office, shocked at the news she had just heard. Seeing the blond up ahead, she hurried, trying to catch her only to watch the elevator open and Courtney squeal as she hugged the dark haired man inside the car and was swiftly pulled inside as they all heard Carly shouting out "Courtney."

When the blond had joined Emily, she snarled at the other girl. "Why didn't you stop her? Do you know what she did to your brother?"

Emily looked at Carly then at Nik who was coming down the hall with a small brunette and said "Carly, I have more important things than dealing with Courtney or you. I would think that you do to, after all,Robin is coming to town to save your husband."

Carly froze then looked at the pairing now stopping in front of her. "Robin."

"Carly." she said tense at the idea of seeing Jason in a little while, and now running into the woman she blamed for costing her Jason. "So, I heard that AJ finally got his son back away from your selfish ass."

"What are you doing here?" she snapped like she hadn't already been told.

"I was asked to come to town and give Sonny my drug protocol by Jason." she said and seeing Carly tense, threw lighter fluid on the fire. "I have been in touch with him for a couple of years now, he asked me to come to town, to help Sonny but I said I couldn't, not just yet."

What she didn't tell the blond was that Jason had been in contact with her about what had happened to a friend of his, a young woman who had been drugged. He had made her promise to not say a word until he had talked to her about that, so she would only use Sonny to needle the annoying woman standing in front of her.

Hearing Robin's name, the young doctor turned around to see Tony Jones approaching her. "We have a meeting set up with the team who need to know how you are going to administer the protocol."

"Was Carly invited?" she asked without looking at the blond.

When the blood stiffened and began to say she wouldn't be kept away, she got the shock of her life when Robin agreed. When Tony Jones began to protest Robin said "She is his wife, she should be there."

Carly hated the idea of Robin Scorpio having anything to do with saving Sonny let alone with her being involved with this meeting, so she ignored her and pushed her way forward following Tony Jones to the conference room.

The doctors began to discuss how the protocol worked, then what had to be done afterwords. "So aftercare is the issue." said Alan Quartermaine.

"Yes, Sonny needs to be kept calm at all times until the brain heals." Robin looked at Carly and said "There has to be nothing allowed that would upset him. No business could be discussed, nothing upsetting of a personal nature."

"Are you insinuating that I am going to upset Sonny?" she sneered at the annoying brunette. "I am his wife."

Robin looked at the blond then said "Carly, I am not saying anything. I am here as a doctor, I am not letting our old fights get in between saving my old friend."

Jason waited at the warehouse office, knowing that when Carly found out that Robin was in town, she would show up and cause trouble as soon as the other woman was of no use to her. Sure enough, the blond showed up just as the men began leaving for the night and began to rant.

There was a moments silence after she was finished then said "And then there is Courtney, how dare she treat you that way. Having an affair with Ric Lansing of all people?"

"Carly, it was my mistake." he said with a shrug. "I thought she would make a good mother and that taking care of her was the right thing to do for Sonny."

"Well don't worry, Jason. You still have me and you still have Michael. All we have to do is get him away from AJ. You know that he is poisoning Michael against us." she said looking at him and thinking that it wouldn't take much to get him back. Yes, he wanted children, but they could always adopt.

"Carly, I am not taking Michael away from AJ." he said then hearing his phone ring, picked it up and listened, closed his eyes and said "When?"

The answer made him smile, widely. Carly saw his happiness, his joy and frowned that she had no idea what was going on. "I will be there, hopefully in time."

Hanging up, he picked up his motorcycle keys, grabbed Carly's arm and escorted her out of his office. "I have to go."

"Wait, where are you going? What is going on?" she demanded.

"Nothing Carly. AT least nothing that concerns you." he said then hopped on his bike and drove off towards the hospital. Carly's eyes narrowed, then she went to her car to follow him.

There she saw him hugging Robin and pulling the small woman off into an office. Carly moved towards the door but found herself unable to open the door. "Carly what are you doing?"

"I want in that door." she demanded of Alan Quartermaine.

"I don't give a damn." he answered walking away from the blond. When he saw she hadn't moved, he called security and had them remove Carly from the floor. "Her husband is on two, she is only allowed on that floor, otherwise she is to be escorted out of this hospital."

Meanwhile inside Jason was thanking Robin for her help with his friend.

The young doctor had been happy but now her smile was strained as she got that this young woman was more than just a friend, that the man she still loved was in love with her patient. Hiding her pain, she told him he was welcome and told him she would keep his secret.

"Thank you, you have no idea, none what this means to me." he said then asked "What about Sonny?"

"He should be awake soon." she said. "I am so happy that I could help him."

Jason kept that saving Sonny wasn't his intention, all he wanted was to wake the man up, have him make the mistake of coming for him. Then Sonny would really learn the meaning of betrayal, trapped in his useless body, awake but not.

"How long?" he asked. "How long will it take for Sonny to wake up?"

"A few weeks." she said. "Jason, I am glad that you saw that AJ deserves to be with his son."

Shaking his head, he just said "We will have to agree to disagree about why you did what you did. Look, Robin. I get that I was in the wrong, but you weren't exactly innocent in any of this."

When she began to speak, Jason stopped her then said "Look, I am not here to argue with you, we can just agree to disagree. I have to deal with some business on the island. Hopefully Sonny will have woken up by the time I return."

With that, Jason left and saw the small woman coming his way while her mother was pushing a stroller. Stopping, not caring, just wanting it done, he said "Alexis, I have file for you."

With that, he handed her the file on Nik and Sam. "I was watching Nik after finding out he was seeing Emily. I was concerned because of Helena and well his current financial situation now that Stefan is gone."

Alexis frowned then opened the file. Gasping, she flipped through the photos, "Oh my god."

Sam saw her mother look between her and whatever was in the photo that the hot looking blond had given her. "What is wrong?"

"You, you slept with Nik?" she was asked, her voice trembling. "You slept with your cousin?"

"I swear, I didn't know he was my cousin." she said pleading with her mother to believe her. "Alexis, when we learned the truth, Nikolas and I, we regretted what happened."

"What happened?" asked Emily as she approaching, a puzzled expression on her face when she saw how upset everyone looked.

"Nothing." said Sam nervously looking at Jason, hoping he wouldn't want to hurt his sister.

Alexis was feeling sick, she had just been told that Ric had moved out of the country, that Carly knew the truth about her daughter and that meant Sonny would when he woke up. Her heart was beating wildly but she had no intention of covering up for her daughter, none at all.

She then saw Emily's confusion and knew that the other girl had been through a lot in the last year. First had been losing Lucky, then his return. Followed by having to deal with Helena and then just as things had settled down, poor Elizabeth had lost her mind.

She could still recall the meeting they had had, when the entire group had gathered together to try and help the former artist figure out what Helena had done to her.

At first Alexis hadn't believed that she had been brainwashed, but the more Elizabeth spoke, the more she had said that she wasn't being forced to spurn Lucky, the more Alexis had realized that there had to be a reason she was walking away from a perfect young man like Lucky and choosing a man like Jason.

Then had come the day that AJ's BMW had been carjacked, the day that Elizabeth had died. Alexis still shivered at the sight of the car on fire. And in the end, time had kept moving. Emily had moved on, but she was sure that underneath the other girl was still reeling from the loss of her best friend.

Seeing the way Emily was looking at her daughter made up her mind, she would keep it quiet.

"Emily I have some bad news." said Jason, then took the file from Alexis unresponsive hands and showed his sister what was inside. Hearing his sister gasp, he said "I am sorry but I couldn't in good conscious, not show these to you. Especially with your news."

Her jaw falling, Emily asked uneasily "What are you talking about?"

"I saw you with Dr. Meadows earlier, congratulations." He saw Lucky and Nicolas exiting the elevator and thought to himself perfect timing. "Lucky, great timing."

Emily turned white, no one but no one knew that she had slept with Lucky, so she wasn't sure what her brother was doing but she kept her mouth shut.

"Really, why?" he mocked glaring at the mobster who had tried to take Elizabeth away from him. At least with her dead, Jason hadn't won.

"Well Emily is really going to need your support. See, Nik here, was sleeping with Sam, his cousin." he said to the shock of his sister and Alexis while Nik just claimed innocence until Jason showed him the photos.

"How dare you?" he asked Jason. "What do you have those thugs of yours following me around?"

"What pisses you off more, that I had you followed or that you were caught?" he asked. Seeing Emily's paleness, he continued. "Spencer, Emily just found out she is pregnant, she is going to need your support now that your brother has proven to be the loser I always thought he was."

"Wait, you are pregnant?" Nik turned to Emily. "Whose the father?"

"What do you mean who is the father?" asked Jason well aware what Nik was thinking.

"Y-you are the father." Emily insisted as she looked at him, unable to believe the way he had been questioning her about it. "You have to be, you are the only man in my life."

Lucky had turned to Emily and was about to say something when she looked at him then at his brother and said "Why are you acting like this, we both know that condoms aren't 100 percent effective."

"Emily, I am sorry to have been the one to tell you about Nicolas, but hopefully Lucky can be there for you." he said with a slight smile at the idiot.

"I-uh, I uh, I will try to be." he said absentmindedly his mind already thinking of a plan how exactly he was going to use doing that to make Jason pay and pay dearly for Elizabeth.

"After everything that Emily did for you when you were engaged to Elizabeth, I would say she deserves a more ringing endorsement of help than that, don't you Alexis. After all you all stood by Lucky, didn't you?"

Alexis' eyes narrowed, there was something in that tone that worried her, but she when she looked at Jason, all she saw was concern on his face for his sister. "Y-yes, we did and we will help Nicolas and Emily fix this mistake, help them get past this to make sure that their wedding is just perfect."

"Before there will be a wedding, there will be a DNA test." snapped Nik his heart sinking, he had need of a rich wife, but an heir if his could possibly be worth more.

"You don't trust me?" she asked her heartbreaking at the words coming out of Nik's mouth. "You don't trust me? You are the one sleeping with your cousin."

"I didn't know." he snapped while glaring at Sam, it was all her fault, she had pressed those tits against him and he had been vulnerable at the time.

"How could you ask me to marry you, was that the guilt speaking, Nik?" she snapped at him.

"Because I wasn't asking you to marry me." he retorted back without thinking, "I was asking you about the ring I found in my uncle's safe. You were the one who thought I was and ran with it. I just didn't correct you."

"What?" she asked holding her hand to her chest in shock. "But-but we were meant to be, like Lucky and Liz, we were supposed to be together."

"Oh please, I am so sick of this Lucky and Liz crap." he snarled. "I have been sick of it since Helena faked Lucky's death."

"How can you say you are sick of it, it is a true love story." Emily said, the belief in what she was saying clearly annoying Nik. "She pined for him, her love brought him back from hell and they were happy, they were getting married. They would have had a dream life."

"Are you listening to yourself?" he snapped. "Have you forgotten all that was happening then. What we did? Because I didn't, I haven't forgotten. Wake up, Emily, wake up and realize that people aren't chess pieces you can maneuver around where you want them."

"I don't think that they are." she snapped. "Lucky, tell him, tell Nik how wrong he is."

"Nik knows how much I needed Elizabeth." he said looking at his brother, his lips trembling, tears falling from his eyes.

Nik looked at his brother, then at his 'fiancee'. "My god, I don't know which of you is more delusional. Lucky, you weren't in love with Elizabeth, you just believed she was the key to getting you well and to that damned diamond that Helena has."

When he began to cry in earnest, Nik snapped "Enough, I have had enough of this crap. Emily, yes, Elizabeth mourned Lucky, but she got over him. Her love had nothing to do with his coming back, it was more about what Helena wanted. And they were not happy. Elizabeth told you, repeatedly that she was staying to help Lucky but that she no longer loved him."

"You don't know that, we both know that Helena brainwashed her." she said desperate for him to believe her.

"No, I went along with that because I thought it would help Lucky but we both know Helena did nothing to Elizabeth." He was under a lot of stress and right now, Nik was sick to death of faking that he understood why the Spencers always had to win.

Jason looked at Emily then at Lucky and asked pretending not to know the answer "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing, Helena just messed with Elizabeth. That's all." said his sister clearly wanting him to drop it.

"Why didn't you tell me when I came home last year?" he asked, hoping with some small part of him that she would tell the truth. That she would finally be the Emily he had believed her to be.

"Because there was nothing to tell, we handled it." said Alexis, her voice almost cracking as she looked between Emily, Nik and Lucky. She wasn't a fool, she had known at the time that they were doing the wrong thing, but she had gone along with it because Luke had said that it would draw out Helena and that they could finally end her reign of terror. She might not know specifics but Alexis was no fool.

Instead, she truly believed that Elizabeth's death was a result. If they hadn't been pressing her to marry Lucky, she wouldn't have been in that car, wouldn't have ended up dead.

And unlike the rest of the delusional idiots, she was well aware that Elizabeth had had real feelings for Jason, feelings that she was getting the sinking realization had been reciprocated.

"Emily, why don't we have lunch, you can tell me all about it." said Jason, then added as a temptation. "Besides, it looks like you are going to need my help with your baby."

Lucky saw something in Jason's eyes and knew that wasn't a good idea. "Actually Emily and I have plans."

Jason let it go, then looking at Sam said "I haven't forgot what started this visit."

"Jason, now is not the time." Alexis pressed him to let it for now. She would deal with her daughter, later, after they were in the privacy of her her own home.

The blond man looked at her, then said "You are right, this can wait, if Emily wants to end things with Nik, I will make sure she gets help."

With that he walked to the exit, sat down on his bike and clenched his fists tight. Counting to ten, he had calmed down enough ride off. Arriving at the house in Crimson Pointe, he entered and snapped at Trevor. "Make the deal with Sam McCall, I want Alexis taken down now."

"I thought you wanted to wait until Sonny was awake." he was asked.

"Elizabeth is waking up, I don't have time to toy with her." he said. "And then is Cassadine, how much longer?"

"We have him in sight." said Claudia as she entered the room. "I can move up the time table. How long?"

"Two weeks." he replied. "Emily is pregnant, I think that Lucky is going to turn out to be the father but don't care either way, I want her trapped like she had wanted Elizabeth to be."

"Do we make that happen or let it be what it is?" asked Anthony from where he was sitting behind the desk.

"We let the fallout be what it is. What I want is for it to be publicly known what was done to Elizabeth." he said.

He had every intention of taking away the respect that Emily felt the Quartermaine name gave her. She tended to think of herself as a young Lila, as did others in the family, well that was going to be burnt to the ground.

"Taken care of, we found the documents thanks to your geek." said Anthony. "Johnny is sitting on him."

"Find a way to expose them, I want it known what the hell the Spencer family and my sister did to Elizabeth." he said. "And I want it on tape so that I can make sure that everyone hers her admitting it so there can be no doubt.

"I might have a way." said Claudia. "Do you still have that computer geek on call? Not the nervous twitchy kid, the other one?"

"Yeah." he replied. "Why?"

"Its the latest thing, a blog. Its on the Internet and if we can post an anonymous video on this You-Tube thing, then write an article, we make sure the mainstream press runs the article, then the police begin to investigate, all without exposing us."

Seeing his doubt, Claudia opened her computer and showed him how it worked. "If we have a hacker, we can make it trend, that is what gets attention."

"I will take your word for it, I just want it done in time for me to bring Elizabeth home." he said. "She is waking up."

A world away, and down under, Jeff Webber was checking on his little girl. She was now off everything, she was being feed broth as she slowly woke up.

Alexis was home with her two daughters, after a talk with an fellow attorney she wasn't at all concerned about Sonny getting custody of her baby and her other daughter, while not as polished as she might have wished for, clearly she was eager to bond with her new family.

Hearing a knock on the door, watching as Sam was speaking softly to her sister while carrying her off to her nursery, she had a smile on her face that quickly faded when she saw Mac Scorpio standing there with three men wearing suits. "Mac, is something wrong."

"I am sorry about this, Alexis but these three gentlemen need to see your daughter." Mac had read the paperwork and he was quite sure that Alexis wasn't going to be expecting what was about to happen.

"About what?" she asked the man that looked in charge.

"A woman called the FBI hotline after seeing local news feed of you leaving the hospital yesterday. She believes that your daughter Sam was a dead ringer for a con artist by the name of Angela Monroe who stole her father's fortune and tried to convince the local police that she killed him in self defense. When she realized that they weren't buying her story she fled."

"I assure you, it isn't my daughter." she said only to be told that they had a search warrant. Entering the house, they asked where Sam was only to hear the sound of a car being driven away at high speed.

Rushing to the front door, the agents said "She is getting away."

Mac remained behind and showed Alexis the pictures. She gasped in shock, there was no doubt it was the young woman she knew as her daughter standing next to a man older than Alexis was.

"Alexis, she is suspected in dozens of cons up and down the coast. I checked with the hospital, concerned for your sake but Alan assured me that the DNA test hadn't been tampered with."

"Oh." she said her hope in the back of her head fading as she got that her child was this horrible person and that she had fled here being chased by the FBI.

_**TBC**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Four**

Anthony looked at Morgan then said "She is on the run from the agents."

"Make it public so that Alexis and Nik can't sweep it under the rug." Jason knew that her professional reputation meant as much to Alexis as being a Q did to Emily, so he would use it against her and this was only the first shot.

Calling to Australia, he spoke to Jeff then went to the hospital to pretend concern the next day as Robin injected the protocol into Sonny then waited as Tony Jones operated on the man.

Carly sat there, unsure what to think. What if Sonny woke up, did she stay with him, did she leave him and hope that Jason would go against his best friend and chose her? Or did she even have that option. Before he had been shot, Sonny had been planning on divorcing her.

She glared at Robin who was talking quietly with Jason, wishing he would come over to her, after all she was Sonny's wife, she needed his support more than that uppity bitch.

"Carly, any news?" asked Emily as she came into the waiting room. Her life was officially a mess and she needed her big brother but he had been unavailable to her. She knew he had meant well, but now,Lucky was asking questions about her child and Nik didn't seem to believe her regarding his being the father.

Then there was the way he had tried to claim to not want to marry her. She refused to believe that, they had been friends and more for so long, yet...

"Emily, how are you?" Jason asked then said that it would be a few more hours until they heard about Sonny and would she like to go out with him to the courtyard.

With a sigh she agreed, then when they were out there she said "Jason, what am I going to do. Nik is treating me so badly."

He knew that, he also knew the reason why. The Cassadine heir was in deep financial trouble and was looking for a very wealthy bride that he could trade his title for in exchange for her money.

He was also aware that Lucky was playing his own game but that Emily didn't want to marry what she considered second best, that she wanted Nik and his title.

"Emily, I will listen but I have no idea what to tell you. Last time I was involved with anything similar I gave Carly bad advise and that is why Micheal's life is such a mess." he told his sister.

"I get that, all of this, its giving me nightmares, lets talk about something else." she begged. "Anything else."

"Okay." he said then asked "What were all of you talking about regarding Elizabeth yesterday?"

Emily stuttered as she assured him it had been nothing. Like Lucky had said during their dinner last night, it was better that Jason not know anything about any of that, after all he might not believe them when they said it had been done for Elizabeth's sake.

Hearing fast footsteps coming their way, Emily was glad to see her parents. "What is going on?"

"A situation at that small no tell motel outside of town. Sam McCall got into a shootout with police, they are trying to figure out where she got the gun, but she shot at a cop."

Inside, the foursome joined the others in the waiting room as the reporter on CNN went live to Port Charles New York where a woman was holed up in a hotel and had already shot at two police officers.

"_Sam McCall, recently found daughter of well known defense attorney __Alexis Davis was to be arrested on felony fraud and murder charges when she fled her mother's home yesterday. Ms McCall, who was to be extradited first to Miami, Florida then to Charlotte, North Carolina on similar charges has a long record of arrests and convictions."_

Jason watched as they ran through Sam's past up to her arrival in Port Charles and sure enough, Jake was now on the television announcing what had happened with her cousin, the Greek Prince at Jake's.

Well that cut off Nik's chance of a marriage of convenience, while the rich might marry for a title that had a scandal in the very distant past, this more recent scandal in the time of the 24 hour news cycle would not be overlooked.

Alexis couldn't leave her house, the reporters were outside and the longer that Sam held off the FBI agents, the worse it got. Hearing her cell phone ringing, she listened as Nik ranted against the woman and said "Nik, there is nothing I can-"

The tv viewers all heard the gun shots, then one final gunshot in the room. Five minutes later, a defiant Sam was being carried from the room in handcuffs as she screamed that she was a domestic abuse victim and that they couldn't treat her this way.

Leaving the waiting room, Jason went to a private area and made a call. Hearing what he wanted, he said "How long?"

"Thanks to this, she is already trending, it is just a matter of leading the online community where we want them." said Stan who hung up and said "Okay, up next, Luke's past."

In Australia, something was bothering Jane Jacks as her guests and she sat outside enjoying breakfast. Looking around, she felt a sense of unease in the air. When she saw Felicia looking around as well, she said softly. "There is something in the air."

"The animals, where are they?" asked Georgie while her sister looked at her like she was crazy as she pointed out the four horse in the paddock.

"That's it, no birds." said Jane. Going inside, she made a call and then quickly hurried back out. "Girls, go get what you need to take for your immediate concerns. Felicia, help me load the horses into the trailer."

"What is it?" she asked as she walked with the older woman towards the stables.

"A good friend of mine said the weather witch is disturbed and for us to move away from here." she said grimly not wanting to explain about Robert Scorpio who was already taking care of his family's exit on being given the news.

The horses loaded, she went inside and grabbed the precious memories that were kept at the station then saw the Jones girls get into the back of the large ute.(what we call an SUV)

Driving away, she felt the wind picking up and was heading towards town when Georgie said "Wait, what about the people at the pretty house. We have to warn them too."

Jane saw that they were nearing the road that would if they went right take them to safety and left was two miles to the house. "I don't have a phone number, we are going to have to warn them personally."

Taking the right road, she saw that Felicia was trying to reach the girls father but wasn't getting a signal out. Arriving at the house, she saw the tall blond male coming out.

"I am sorry but we-"

"No time for pleasantries. There is something coming this way. You and whoever else is here have to get out and now." She said getting out of her Ute even as she braked.

"There has been nothing on the news." said Jeff just as the wind gusts began to pick up.

"Trust me, I have lived here my entire life." said Jane. Something in her eyes had Jeff convinced even as Felicia went in behind him and said "Tell us what you need packed."

Calling out for his wife, he saw her hands were shaking and said "What is it?"

"The news, a storm kicked up a fire in the reserve, it is headed this way." she said.

"Get the medical stuff, I will get what we need for Elizabeth." he said grimly as Felicia went to help the woman and asked "Is Elizabeth your daughter?"

Georgie and Maxie entered and while the older blond answered her mother's request to come help, Georgie went to see if the tall man needed any help only to stop in the doorway shocked. "That's Elizabeth Webber."

"Yes. Now take down that painting on the wall and grab that box right next to the radio." he ordered then went to pick up the few other mementos of Jason for his daughter. "Young lady, now." he snapped when she seemed unable to move as she stared in shock at Elizabeth.

"Oh okay." she said doing as ordered quickly then went out to the estate wagon and putting them in the back. When she was joined by the others, followed by Jeff carrying Elizabeth wrapped up in a blanket she said "What do we do now?"

"Drive towards the coastal areas." Jane said. "We stay together and I keep trying to reach my son to get us out of here. His father and he are just across the bay in Papua New Guinea for a business meeting."

Making their way to the nearest large city, Carolyn and Jeff were worried about their daughter who was laying in the passenger seat that was completely reclined while Jeff drove and she kept an eye on their little girl from seat behind him. "How do we keep these kids quiet?"

"I don't know." said Jeff grimly as they saw the blackness in the air behind them. "First however we have to get out of here alive."

On the news back in Port Charles there was a feeding frenzy as report after report about the Cassadine family ran and then came the news of the Spencers and how the wife of Luke Spencer had a child with his mortal enemy.

Nik was not happy at all but even less happy were his creditors. Each report had him facing that his financial situation was not good. The vultures had left Alexis alone, deciding she was small potatoes on the scandal trail. They had moved onto bigger stories as they feed the need to fill air time and keep the eyes on them.

When they were finished shredding apart Luke, Laura and their son Lucky's mysterious return from the dead. The story of his fiance died very quickly when they couldn't find much out about it, but then they went looking at other family members and Carly had to get into it with a reporter opening up yet another large can of worms.

The press where thrilled to report on how the man she had conned was now operating on her current husband a suspected mobster with a colorful history of his own. Bobbie's past and recent hospital firing was dissected and Carly's multiple choice daddies were exposed.

The firestorm in Port Charles was being carefully crafted by Stan and his blog writer Claudia. Every single news cycle had a more titillating story, each story had someone in the Spencer or Cassadine family showing their rears in public almost hourly.

Then... it just died down. Went away as suddenly as it came. Dawn came the next morning, Carly was half asleep in the chair beside Sonny's bed when she heard the door opening.

"Carly, how is he doing?" asked Jason like he hadn't been being kept up on everything.

"He is fine, where have you been Jason?" she demanded. "I needed you, do you have any idea what kind of trouble that Sam McCall brought down on us. The press have been..."

"Carly, what do you think I have been dealing with?" he snapped at her while inwardly glad to see she was being affected by the storm. "I took care of it, so that you and Sonny can get the peace you deserve. Now if you will excuse me, my sister needs me."

Leaving he hid his cold smile as he recalled how unhappy Claudia had been at being told that they had to dial it down, just for now. She didn't want to wait, she had been enjoying what she had been creating.

Stan took the message, then quickly tried to reach Jason. "Man, you have to get back to the mansion, now. There is a huge bush fire in Australia. Our people lost contact with the station."

Jason saw Emily rushing his way, clearly desperate for his help and he couldn't help snapping at her "Emily, something more important has come up. I will talk to you when I get the time."

With that, he left his hysterical sister standing in the parking lot as he hopped on his bike and rode quickly away. Emily stood there shocked at his abandoning her.

Her parents had told her that it was her choice, that she could either marry Nik knowing that he hadn't intended to marry her before learning about the baby or she could rely on Lucky who had proven to be unreliable. Or she could come home and that was the last thing Emily intended to do.

Em didn't quite agree that Lucky was unstable, but she did know that she wanted Nik, her true love. The man she had loved since she was a teenager. She wanted to be Princess Emily, mother to the future heir, the future prince.

Hearing her name being called, she turned to see Nik and smiled at him. "Were you looking for me?"

Looking at Emily, his mind on the news that her trust fund wasn't big enough to help him save his company then down at his phone. He had an offer from a less than legitimate business man, he would turn over his daughter's trust fund before the marriage he wanted ONLY if Nik made it clear in a public forum that he wasn't going to marry Emily Quartermaine.

"We need to talk." he said then handed her the paperwork. "This is a formal request for a DNA test regarding the baby you are carrying. Plus, we need to speak about the ring I gave you. I need it back."

"What if the tests prove you are the father?" she asked her feelings hurt at his coldness. "Nik, why are you reacting like this?"

"Emily, I don't trust you." he said. "Plus, what I expect from my future bride, you don't fulfill those requirements."

Seeing her face fall, he said "Loyalty being one of the main requirements. You have always given your friendship to whatever side gives you what you need. Plus there is your past relationships with Juan and Zander. Neither of whom were exactly members of good society. Then there is your brother."

"Don't you know, if you wanted me to, I would walk away from Jason. All I need is you." she said her eyes moistening as she went through his statement to refute his arguments. "And I have been loyal to you and your family above all else. I did things for them and you that I wouldn't do for anyone else. Look at what I did to Elizabeth."

The man at the other end of the bug that had been planted on Nicolas Cassadine during his meeting earlier that day said "C'mon, just admit it, tell it all, Emily."

"No one ASKED you to turn on Elizabeth, you did that all on your own, Emily." he drawled. "We both know you wanted to make sure that Elizabeth was with Lucky and far away from Jason."

"Elizabeth loves Lucky, she was only infatuated, you know that." she said shrilly. "She was just confused and I helped her get unconfused."

"Em, stop kidding yourself. You used drugs and hypnotism to take away her free will. I have never understood that one, even if it helped Lucky, what you did, it was for you and Lucky, it was never about helping Elizabeth." Nik completely ignored that he had sat there and done nothing when all of this had gone on, he hadn't verbally supported it, so it didn't count.

"What I did?" she asked disbelief in her voice. "I did what I did for you, for us."

"Emily there was never an us." he said with a dismissive tone. "You know, some day, I will face what I did to help my family, but you? You will never admit that you were wrong."

Walking away, he never saw her standing there, shocked at his leaving her. Whimpering, she was feeling dizzy as she went over to a nearby bench and sank onto its wood slats. "B-but, Nik, I did it for us, I did everything for us."

Lucky had been secretly watching, enjoying this little tete a tete as the two of them imploded. He was well aware that his brother needed money and a hell of a lot of it. And that was the main reason his tepid romance with Emily was over, otherwise he was positive that his brother would have kept stringing his long time friend along.

Deciding that now was the time, now was his chance to prove he was better than Nik, better than anyone even her sainted brother, Jason. Walking over, sitting down, he soon had Emily realizing that he was the only one on her side.

Jason stopped the bike and rushed into the large house. "What happened?"

"A brush fire combined with strong wind gusts." said Johnny from where he was standing in front of the television blocking what CNN and Fox News was showing.

"I have to go, I have to get there." he said looking at Stan. "How soon can we get the jet ready?"

"It will be ready when you get to the airport, but Jason, it looks like that neighbor, he got a message out to his former boss. I intercepted it. They were warned, they seem to have gotten out."

"Seem to?" he asked scornfully. "I can't hold out hope on just the chance, I have to get there, I have to-"

His phone rang, not the normal one, but the one that only two people on this earth had the number to. Hitting send, he said "Where are you and how is Elizabeth?"

"We are on a boat, heading towards Daru, Papau New Guinea. There are no flights in and out of northern Australia." Jeff said as he stood on the deck of the large yacht. "Carolyn is with Elizabeth, but there was no affect her health."

"Thank god, how did you rent the yacht?" he asked relaxing a bit.

"That is the bad news." Jeff said looking around to make sure he was alone. "We are with Jane Jacks and her guests on the way to meet up with her husband had son."

"Oh shit." said Jason. "Find Lady Jane, tell her what..."

"I already did. She made sure that no messages could be sent off the yacht and there was no chance for any of the Jones family to get messages out before we left Darwin." he said then continued. "I had to tell her the truth, and she said she would keep quiet, but the Jones family is a totally different situation. There are two teenage girls on this boat and we both know that most of the time they can't keep secrets."

"How long until you get to Daru?" he asked and grimaced at being told three days. Hanging up, he looked at Claudia and said "When can you two take down Cassadine, and I will work on getting my sister married to Lucky."

"You don't have to do anything to get that to happen." said a chuckling Anthony. "Cassadine was eager for the money. He went to see Emily already. She left the hospital ten minutes ago with Spencer who was all riled up and talking about being her hero."

"Uh, Morgan, Corinthos is waking up and his wife, well she has been trying to reach you." said Trevor from where he was on the phone with the guard watching the bitchy blond.

Jason sat down, then with a look around at those who had helped him over the past year then down at his hands. "Its time to wrap this up and I know that as things come down to the end, I won't get a chance to say this, but I want you to know, Thank you."

There was silence as those in the room looked at each other then at the man who had come to each of them, talked in spite of how hard it clearly was for him to speak of his feelings about the love he had lost and how those who he had long protected had cost him so much.

They all had their own personal vendettas and reasons for helping, but in the end, what had enabled them to on occasion wait when they had their own personal targets in their line of sight was the love that he clearly had for this woman.

Jason returned to GH, after speaking to Tony Jones and Robin entered the small hospital room to see that Carly had been her own worst enemy as Sonny was now awake but clearly was unable to speak as she had immediately begun to tell him her problems and ignored how the monitors were beginning to beep louder and faster.

"Carly, what is going on?" he asked as suddenly the medical team rushed in while in the hospital bed, Sonny began to seize.

When they had gotten Sonny calmed down and had sedated him, Carly wasn't happy that Jason pulled her from the room to where Bobbie was standing nearby. "You were told to let Sonny be. What were you thinking, the minute he wakes up, you start complaining about losing Michael, about the press and that Brenda has been seen?"

Carly looked at him then started to speak only for Tony Jones to come up and snap. "What were you thinking Carly? Were you trying to send him back into a coma?"

Seeing Robin's smug face behind the doctor, Carly snapped "It wasn't my fault, if she hadn't screwed up these drugs, it wouldn't have mattered..."

"Carly, it is standing operating procedure with an awakened coma patient to keep them calm." said Bobbie who protested when Tony said that Carly was banned from his patients room. "She is his wife. She is allowed to be in there."

"Actually that is up to Morgan, because he has Corinthos Power of Attorney." Tony Jones retorted annoyed that his ex-wife who didn't even work here any longer seemed to feel she had the right to order him around. "Morgan, you have to chose, Carly or Sonny?"

This was the moment, Jason looked at the doctor, then at the self assure blond already moving towards Sonny's room and said "Sonny. I want Carly kept from his room unless he is unconscious. Bobbie, if you help her get in to see him, I will go to Alan and get you arrested since you were already fired."

With that, he walked back into the hospital room, sat down across from the man he was about to make sure died and waited, knowing that Carly wouldn't just walk away from what he had done.

Sure enough, she soon had pushed her way into the room demanding that Jason explain himself to her. "Excuse me?"

"Why would you do this to me?" she asked clearly confused. "And in front of Tony and Robin of all people?"

Jason grabbed her arm, took her to the waiting room and sat her down on one of the sofas then looked at her. "Carly, do you want Sonny to get healthy?"

"Yes." she said looking at him while wishing that she had never heard the name Sonny Corinthos, who knows maybe she would have been Mrs. Jason Morgan long before this if she hadn't.

"Good, then stay away from his room." with that, Jason left, knowing that soon she would get the news. Sure enough, Bobbie showed back up five minutes later, staggering as she sat down next to her daughter and reached for her hands.

"Carly, we need to talk. Your biologically father is in town, he would like to meet you." she said still shocked at being blackmailed by the man with her past.

"What? I thought you didn't know who he was?" she asked suspiciously.

"I had a list of names." she confessed. "One of them, he came to town after seeing you on the news and using some of his own contacts did a DNA test. There is no doubt, he is your father."

Carly didn't know what to think, she had long had questions, but with her mother's past had accepted that she had truly not known who her father was. "Is he here?"

"Yes." she said with a heavy heart as she stood and said "Carly, it might not be such great news. His name, its John Durant."

"I know that name... oh god, not Special Federal Prosecuting Attorney John Durant." she asked her heart sinking as her mother shook her head yes. "Oh god. He was after Sonny earlier this year."

"Its why he had such a close eye on you." Bobbie said reluctantly then she continued. "Carly he wants to have a meeting with you. When Sonny is feeling better and you are up to it."

"I, I want to meet him, now." said Carly urgently, her mind on wanting to see her dad, on wanting to meet the man who had fathered her.

"I will arrange it." Bobbie said.

On the boat, Georgie slipped into the stateroom in which they had Elizabeth Webber. She could hear a voice, she knew it but not where from as she sat down on the chair on the opposite side of the room. Realizing it was an audio tape of some sort, she sat back, watching the beautiful brunette sleep, curious as to how she was alive if in a

coma when the whole world thought she was dead.

Maxie had been in shock since seeing Elizabeth, her quiet behavior worrying Georgie, until she remembered that Maxie had had an affair with Lucky Spencer, the fiancee of the woman who had been carjacked on the way to her wedding.

Hearing footsteps, she was shocked when Maxie entered the room and didn't see her in the darkness as she went to stand over Elizabeth. "Why? Why did you have to be alive. I love him, and I know that if he only waits, I would be perfect in the role as Mrs. Lucky Spencer."

Maxie stood there, for a few minutes, her mind completely wrapped up in how she was never going to get a chance with the man she loved, that the woman HE loved was still alive. She was jealous that Elizabeth would get to be his wife, that when she woke up she would be the one reunited with the man she loved.

Backing out of the room with mixed feelings about the brunette, Maxie went off to find out how long before they arrived where Jasper Jacks was, she had to call Lucky, even if it killed her, she wanted the man she loved to be happy even if it wasn't with her.

In Port Charles, Jason had heard from John Durant, he had had his visit with his daughter and had made it clear to Carly that he preferred to keep the connection silent.

Carly had apparently lost it in the middle of the Port Charles Grille, creating a scene that would long be remembered before she had gone back to the penthouse that she had been living in and had destroyed it in a temper tantrum.

Jason had long known that Carly wanted connections, to be able to point to someone and label them as hers. Bobbie as her mother, Michael as her son, Sonny as her husband and he himself as her best friend at the very least.

He knew that if he gave her a father, it would resonant with her, but to give her a father and have the man tell her he didn't want the connection, he knew that would cut at her, not emotionally because he didn't think there was an emotional connection to any of them but from a status standpoint.

Then had come the call from his grandmother in regards to Emily. She had eloped the night before with Lucky Spencer, just like he had hoped she would. Even better she had in an argument with Nik the next day, had defiantly told him that there was a good chance that his brother was the father of her child.

That had had the two brothers fighting and unknowingly had given Jason yet another piece of the puzzle as he found out that Lucky had been lying and manipulating people back when suffering from his brain washing, that it hadn't in fact been as bad as he had made it seem.

That it had been part of the deal he had struck with Helena. The Spencers had been shocked when the news had come that Luke had been hiding out in the same mental health facility that Laura was a patient in, he was now on a flight back to the states from Switzerland courtesy of Nikolas Cassadine who wanted him away from Laura.

Sam was happy as she was broken out of jail, then put on a jet to paradise with a check for five million dollars, she had done her part, had wrecked havoc on her mother's life, her sleeping with the unknown man had given her a leg up on her next con as she got off the jet in Crete.

Being escorted to her new home, she was imagining living the good life, never seeing the malevolent presence woman in the upstairs window of the large white washed villa next door.

Looking at it though, speculating about the wealth of the owners, she had no idea that the owner was speculating about her and the knowledge that she had slept with Nikolas several weeks before.

In Port Charles, Nik had met with his business partners, handed over the cash and smugly went on his way, his mind on the hard but hot looking woman who was to be his wife in two weeks time.

This Claudia Zachara came with an unlimited line of credit at her family's bank and while she wasn't exactly debutante material, Nik didn't care, he would have no problems bedding her when the time came.

As the money went from one bank to his creditors and to his accounts, he had no idea that the FBI was watching, waiting, wondering how they had missed that the Cassadine family was dirty.

That they were in bed with the Ruiz family meant that the large ship coming in was probably carrying smuggled drugs. With an anonymous call, Trevor set up the little shit who had no idea what or who he was messing with.

"Its done. The FBI and the PCPD in a joint task force will raid the ship, they will find the drugs, then of course go to the Island. Young Prince Nikky will be in prison by the end of the week." said Claudia as she smiled at her father. "So, should I still offer to marry him. After all, that island in Greece would make a nice little smugglers notch."

"No, we don't want that kind of heat anymore." said Anthony regretfully. "Besides, that crazy old lady, Morgan is going to let her live, after all she didn't go after Elizabeth."

Seeing his daughter pouting, Anthony was going to make a suggestion on her going to Italy when in walked two men with more tattoos then hair. "Mr. Ruiz."

"Your prince will be arrested." said older brother. "They will connect the heroin to Russian connections made during the war with the Afghans. Nice and tidy. It will look like they got back involved when their financial situation became desperate. What about this Stefan, will he be a worry?"

"No, the grandmother will take care of him." said Trevor as he offered them cigars and said "Cuban of course."

"Gentlemen you said when you agreed to help that you wanted the Miami ports in exchange, may I ask why?" asked Anthony as he looked them over.

"With the new laws, we needed to go into more legitimate territory. The Corinthos docks and piers will give us that. He barely used them, what about Morgan, rumor is they hurt his woman."

Manny pulled out a photo and said "This woman."

Nodding in agreement, Anthony was a bit tense wondering why Mateo and his brother had a photo of the young artist only for the man to say "We were watching Corinthos island, saw her there."

When nothing else was said, Anthony was getting nervous until Mateo began to speak to his brother in Spanish and hid his chuckle at the news. When the two men had left and his son had reentered the room, he said "Even asleep, she gives help."

"Who wants to be the one to tell Morgan though?" said Trevor as he poured himself another brandy then while it was warming in his hands said "She must be one hell of a woman though, to ask the two of them, to pose for her. I can barely look them in the eyes, yet she got the two of them to sit for her, then gave them the art work for their mother."

"I can see it." said the younger Zachara, his eyes staring off into the distance. "There is a kindness to her, that even the most hardened man would want to protect."

"And yet those closest to her, to Morgan, betrayed her." said Trevor, his mind on the end that was coming for Corinthos, who knows, maybe before he died, Trevor would go and visit with him. Tell him the news, that he had rescued Adella from her abusive husband in the end, the man she had married for Sonny's sake, the man that the very boy she had chosen had abandoned her to when he had fled town instead of killing the bastard.

_**TBC  
**_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Elizabeth was dreaming, her mind telling her that it was time to wake up, that she was safe, but the woman in the dreams, was scared, afraid that if she opened her eyes, she would be back in that living hell.

Where she would be shouting no in her head and yet agreeing to things that she didn't want to do. To hearing her so called friends making deals and playing with her life as they used her to achieve their own happiness at the expense of hers.

To a world where Jason hadn't come, he hadn't show up. Not that she blamed him, she had been so confused, so certain that she had to be the one to rescue Lucky for his saving her that she had walked away from both freedom and the man she loved.

But on the island, overcoming her fears as she went out and about meeting people, she had come to face that Lucky hadn't saved her after her rape. That yes he had been there to help, but it had been she who had saved herself.

Then she had gone home, and told the truth only for things to get fuzzy and then for things to become her own personal living nightmare. She had felt more violated by her friends than she ever had by the man who raped her. He had taken her physical control away, they had taken away everything but her soul though they had certainly tried hard enough to take that too.

The day she had been kidnapped, she had been so happy to escape, even if it had been in the hands of armed gunmen. There had been some safe about the man holding the gun as he had sat next to her. A feeling that he would protect her.

He had, she had heard him in her ear, telling her that all would be well. Then there had been an explosion, then had come intense pain and constant sickness, then had come numbness and now, it was almost a feeling of bliss.

In her dreams, Jason was with her, they were off seeing the world as he told her about every single place they had ever talked about. She had been realizing for the last little bit that something was different, that she was not in the same place as before, but she wasn't scared. More like she was feeling anticipation.

But for what and how she knew that good things were coming, she didn't know. She could almost hear her parents as they talked to her, as they fed her. She didn't know how she knew it, but she also knew that they were on a boat, a large boat.

The Quartermaines were reeling from the news that Emily had just imparted. She was married to Lucky Spencer and that there was a fifty fifty chance he was the father of her baby. She had wanted to move back in only for Monica to answer without even thinking that she thought the Gatehouse would be a better idea.

However Lucky hadn't liked that idea, he had refused to take charity from the Quartermaines. Next thing Emily knew, they were moving into the Spencer house, rent free. How that was any different than living in the gatehouse, she didn't know, but she did know one thing.

She was not going to be an unwed mother. When Nik came over to visit that evening, she was not happy when Luke had shown up just in time to break up their fight, then had blamed Emily for the situation.

When she had tried to put the blame on Nik, Luke had pointed out that she had been the one sleeping with both brothers. Emily had just asked why he was there only to be told that Leslie was leaving for Switzerland and that Lucky and she were going to have to take charge of Lulu.

"I thought she was in school?" she asked.

"Cassadine decided that I should pay for it, since I won't let them get away with kidnapping my wife. I decided that since Lucky has married, I will save myself the money and turn her over to the two of you." he said clearly patting himself on the back at managing to escape responsibility yet again for his youngest child.

With that, Luke left and Nik reminded Emily that he had left his DNA sample at the hospital earlier and that she had to give a blood sample. "Its too soon, Nik."

"No, I heard about a DNA test that only uses the mother's blood, we will have a preliminary result and can do another test when the baby is born." he said and quickly left.

The next day it was as if all hell broke loose in the city of Port Charles at least as far as Mac was concerned. Luke Spencer had walked right into the FBI raid, had been trying to buy Cuban cigars.

Instead of lighting up, he had been fingerprinted and arrested then released after Alexis had shown up to get him out on bail. On his way out the door, his stepson was shouting his protests out loud as he was being escorted into the station.

"Mac, why is Nicolas under arrest?" asked Alexis who was handed a copy of the warrant and was shown the brick package. "What is that?"

"Heroin." said Mac as he ordered the Prince fingerprinted and his photo taken. "We have the manifest, the drugs, the paperwork that Nik signed agreeing to make a certain number of trips for the Ruiz family and then there is this."

Alexis read the contract then demanded to speak to her client. "Nik, what on earth is going on, according to this you made a deal with a mob family."

"Its only a marriage." he said. "Nothing more."

"Nik, tell me you aren't that naive." she demanded shocked at hwat she had read. When he said he knew what he was doing, she snapped. "Obviously you don't. Nik, where is this bride?"

"Her name is Claudia Zachara." he stated.

"Wait, Zachara, Nik, they are enemies with the Ruiz family. Zachara doesn't deal with drugs, Ruiz does. They are always in conflict. Why would you sign a deal with the Ruiz family to marry the Zachara daughter."

"I didn't, I made the deal with the Zachara family." he insisted only to be shown the contact. "This is obviously a forgery, someone is setting me up."

"Who?" she asked. "And why? Who in their right mind would use either of these families to set you up?"

Nik thought about it, tried to come up with a name after Alexis had explicitly spelled out the various ways these two families didn't get along in the mob world. He couldn't come up with a single name as he sat there, then said "Helena!"

"No, not even Helena would endanger you, Stefan if he was still alive, yes, you know..." said Alexis her mind tickling her with something just out of reach.

"What about Sonny and Jason?" he asked then realized how stupid that was. Corinthos wasn't awake and Jason hadn't found out about Sam until AFTER he had already begun to make the deal with the Zacharas.

"Nik, are you sure that Emily didn't tell Jason about what was done to Elizabeth?" she asked quietly, her brain reminding her that she had always wondered about the two of them and their friendship.

"No, she wouldn't have wanted her big brother to know that she did that." said Nik positive of that if nothing else. "Besides,Sonny does all the planning when it comes to the mob. Jason is strictly the muscle"

Alexis swallowed hard, well aware that most people had no idea that just because Jason Morgan was brain damaged, it didn't mean he was an idiot. In fact it was the complete opposite. Jason was the brains and the patience in the partnership of Morgan Corinthos.

Standing, after letting Nik know she would call Stefan, she gave him the bad news. "They are refusing to give you bail."

He was perfectly fine with that, because clearly someone was gunning for him and he had no idea who the enemy was.

Alexis was beginning to leave the station when an embarrassed Mac asked her to stay. "Alexis, we need to speak about something."

"Mac, what is it, I am tired and I have a newborn baby at home." she snapped.

"There is no polite way to say thing, but well. Alexis Davis, you might need to get a new attorney for your nephew. As the legal adviser for Cassadine Shipping, you are considered an unindicted co-conspirator."

"What?" she asked, holding her hand to her chest in shock. "Why would you think that?"

"The SAIC noticed that you were married to Richard Lansing, the man who was the personal attorney for the Ruiz family before he moved to Port Charles." And the other shoe fell. Alexis was almost positive that Jason Morgan somehow was planning on using her against her nephew. He had to be, there were too many coincidences for this to be anything but a set up.

Being told to be available for questioning, Alexis went straight to GH to try and find Jason, positive that he would be visiting Sonny.

Entering the hospital room, seeing it was dark inside, she was shocked to see Carly there. She had heard through the grapevine that Jason had tossed her out the day before.

"What do you want Alexis?" she snapped. "Stay away from my husband, he isn't going to get you away with stealing his daughter away from him."

Sonny who was feigning sleep since he had realized Carly was in his room, frowned a bit, what daughter?

The two women spared, unknowingly filling him in on what was going on and sending his monitors haywire again. Both were ordered from the hospital and Tony Jones was called in. Again.

Carly was removed and when Alexis demanded to speak to Jason, was told he had gone to the Quartermaine mansion to speak to the family about something.

Storming out, she hurried over only to be told by the maid that no one outside of family was to be let in. "I demand you take me to Jason, right now, Alice. Its a matter of life or death."

Ignoring the woman, the maid closed the door and the attorney walked around to the side doors, knowing that the French doors were usually unlocked until Lila went to bed.

Entering, hearing voices in the study, she hurried over in time to realize that they weren't talking about anything she had suspected, instead it seemed to be a discussion about Michael and then oddly enough Brenda Barrett and Robin.

Leaving, deciding to wait outside to confront the mobster, she decided she was overreacting and went home. Sitting down, make a list of possible suspects, she crumpled it up and started with a list of all that had bad things happen in recent years.

At the end, coming up with the mob for Sonny, Helena for some of it, she still couldn't figure out the Nik stuff, then it hit her. Luke, Luke had been in town and he had spent a lot of time in Florida and the Zacharas were connected to the older mob families which he knew.

Calling the man, her mind on the supposed charges for the Cuban cigars and was convinced it had all been a set up to cover for what he had really been doing. Selling out Laura's son.

Over the next two days, the puppet master pulled the strings and Port Charles fell into his plans. In their anger and confusion he had gotten all he wanted including the truth about what they had done in their own words on tape.

Next came the hard part. He had called Audrey Hardy and asked if they could speak. There was a moment's silence then the older woman said "How about coming over around six tonight. Steven and Sarah will be in town by then."

Thanking her, he went to visit Sonny who was looking at him with some suspicion but clearly the mini mobster wasn't sure about reality and dreams after everything that had happened. "Sonny, what is going on?"

"Nothing." he said hurriedly, his mind beginning to question what he had heard or thought he had heard. Jason had been here, been the only person telling him the truth, yet in his dreams, Jason had told him he would end his life, make him pay for Elizabeth.

Was it real or had he been feeling regret for giving in and letting what Luke, Lucky and Carly want matter more than... no, no, he had to have been dreaming as he heard Jason telling him about Cassadine and the Ruiz family.

After stopping in at Jake's, checking over what the man he had now in charge had done, Jason went to see Audrey Hardy. Seeing the two blonds sitting with her, he said "Mrs. Hardy, your son and daughter in law have been living at my station in Australia taking care of a very special patient. There was a brush fire and after a boat trip to safety, they are on a flight home."

"Thank god." she said, her heartfelt expression making her two grandchildren wonder why she hadn't told them about the danger that apparently their parents were in. "And the patient?"

"Waking up." he said unable to keep the smile off his face but suddenly his arms were full of a weeping elderly woman who was hugging him so tightly that he couldn't help thinking that this was where Elizabeth got that ability from. "She is free of the drugs, we aren't sure what she is going to remember, but Dr. Webber said that all brain function is normal."

Pulling back a bit, she turned to look at her grandchildren then back at Jason before saying. "The patient, she..."

Seeing she couldn't bring herself to tell them, Jason said "It is Elizabeth, when we rescued her, she went into detox from the heavy psychotropic drugs that were in her system. I know who did it, I even know why."

"The Spencers?" asked Steven grimly. He saw Sarah look startled at him and said "I tried to talk to her, when I was here, but they wouldn't leave me alone with her. I even mentioned her old nickname, not even a reaction but when I tried to get her out of town, that cop agreed with them, stopped me from taking her."

"Taggert believed Cassadine, that you were helping me. Somehow he knew that we were related, something I didn't even know at the time." said Jason grimly. "I know that you are going to want to shout this from the rooftops, but until we have her safely secured here, I need you to keep it quiet. I just felt we couldn't keep the secret from any of you any longer."

Sarah was hurt but at the same time, she saw that her grams seemed to be accepting of it, so she would. "When do you think they will arrive, I would like to take some time off work."

"I don't know the exact time, but when they do arrive, things will have to move quickly because the Jones girls are on board. Maxie Jones has quite a crush on Lucky and we are afraid she will call him immediately." Jason told them what was going on, knowing that they had to feel like they were being kept in the dark.

"What about Felicia, you do know that she had an affair with Luke, that it was one of the reasons that Mac and she separated." asked Audrey Hardy. "Its a fifty fifty shot that she will tell either Mac or Luke."

"She won't tell either of them because Jeff and Jane gave her the facts. She was appalled and seems to understand that right now, Elizabeth needs to wake up and adjust to having been asleep for a year."

"Plus whatever the hell they did to her." said Steven. "I left town because I was afraid I was doing more harm then good. I should have stayed."

"No, it was your leaving that allowed me to get into town under the cover of the wedding plans and to get her out." he said.

"Wait, the carjacking? It would have only worked if your br-er, if AJ was involved." said Sarah her mind putting the pieces together. "Unless, Emily?"

Knowing what she was asking without coming out and accusing his sister of, he said "No, she was still completely team Spencer. AJ agreed to help when I went to him."

"Wow." she said then asked "Jason, when I got into town, I stopped in at Kelly's and had a milkshake. You do know, Emily married Lucky?"

"Yes I do." he said with a half grin. Audrey got it, she had been reading the paper and watching the news and her adult continuing education class at the Senior Center was taking a computer Internet class.

She was enjoying it and had been reading all about the troubles being heaped on certain people, the very people who had been helping the Spencers or were the Spencers.

"Jason, what do you need for us to do?" asked Steven wanting to help if he could.

"Your sister is going to need the emotional support of her family, but I am going to make public just what was done to her when she is ready to deal with it. If we sweep it under the rug, Lucky will be right back chasing after Elizabeth. There is something else. The rock that Helena used to control Lucky, it is missing."

Seeing their expressions, he said "Its a diamond worth about fifty million dollars when it is cut, whole not so much, but Cassadine, Spencer and my guess a few others are going to be looking for it. They all think that Elizabeth had it."

"What?" asked Sarah wondering why the heck this diamond was connected to her sister.

"I know for a fact she doesn't have it, she tossed it overboard when the yacht Sonny sent her on went to his island." announced Audrey.

Jason made the call, got the news and thanked Trevor as he said he would send divers down to the coordinates of where they had long suspected the diamond was, they didn't want it falling into the hands of those who might use it to try and escape their justice. Hanging up he said "Looks like Helena is back in town."

"Oh god, she will hurt Elizabeth." said Steven.

"Oddly enough, Helena isn't a threat to Elizabeth." said Jason. Seeing they didn't believe him, he informed them of the rest. "She wanted her as a wife for Nik, but Cassadine now needs money a lot of money. She has no use for Elizabeth now and with Lucky out of her life..."

"But the Spencers, they will want Elizabeth to help..." trailed off Audrey as it hit her, that they could want all the help in the world but the man in front of her, would protect her granddaughter. "What else is going on, Jason?"

"Just this, Elizabeth can't stay here with you, she is too vulnerable." he said. "I have arranged for her to stay nearby, someplace no one would ever suspect. Also until she wakes up; we have to stay away."

"I don't like it, but I understand." said Steven who then after a moments hesitation told him. "I have done a little forensics work for the FBI, John Durant asked me to come to Port Charles. I think that he intends to use me against you."

"Except that I am out of the business. He wants to take down Sonny, he thinks that it might save Carly." He had no intention of explaining that John Durant was here at his request, he didn't think that Steven would understand.

Sarah snorted in disgust then said "Oh please, Corinthos was bearable before he hooked up with that she-devil, after they got together, he became such an asshole."

"I agree." said Jason quietly. He continued "It looks publicly like I am running things but I haven't been part of the business since I left two years ago. When Sonny goes down, I won't be tangled up in any of it."

At midnight a private jet landed at the PCIA. From it several different people disembarked and all went their separate ways as they began to put into motion the very last part of Jason Morgan's plans to expose those who had had harmed his Elizabeth.

Jason was on the phone, keeping tabs on those who concerned him, then on a second cell phone, he listened as Elizabeth was quietly spirited away to safety. Looking at his watch, knowing that he had to go and deal with one small problem before going to see her, he watched and waited as the Jones family and the three members of the Jacks family went to their own respective homes.

The Jacks family went to the penthouse that Jax kept in town, while the Jones family went home to house in the nice middle class neighborhood. Once there, Georgie fell into bed, hoping more than expecting Maxie to keep quiet.

Felicia sat down across from Mac, debated then confessed to all that had happened. From her one night stand with Luke Spencer to what she had been told had happened to Elizabeth Webber.

The police commissioner was reeling as he got that his marriage was over while his wife sat there, looking at her hands instead of him. "So, in affect you were used by Spencer to be his alibi, is that what you are saying?"

"Yes, it was the same night. I didn't know, Mac. I had no idea what they were doing to that girl. To me, Luke was just fun, he was the idea of adventure, all the things we used to be until..."

"Felicia, I don't want to hear it. The reason I have to work so hard, have to handle so much is because of those damn Spencers." he said harshly.

"Do you get that, that the reason I spend so much time down a the station is because Luke Spencer and his own special brand of chaos. I don't know where we go from here, but I will tell you one thing. Elizabeth Webber has been a rape victim twice. First time when she was a teenager and the second, well you remember my questions at the time, my suspicions that something was wrong. Do you remember what you said?"

Felicia turned her head, unable to face her part in this but then the words escaped from her "That there was no way that anyone would ever harm the Webber girl. That Lucky loved her. You said you didn't believe that, god, do you think I don't know what I helped do. Do you think that it hasn't occurred to me that the drugs, they might have been the ones that Kevin reported missing."

Standing and pacing back and forth, Mac looked at her "You had the keys, Felicia, you were the only ones with them. Spencer used you to get into that office and get the drugs. Drugs used to make an innocent young woman suddenly go from trying to move on with her life to next thing I know getting ready to marry the very man she said she didn't love anymore."

Felicia burst into tears then told him the rest. "Dr. Webber said she would have been aware, that in spite of being so docile, deep down Elizabeth was aware that she was little more than a puppet on a string; a living walking talking doll."

"And that is what I meant by her being raped twice, Felicia. Think about it, imagine living in that hell. Her very thoughts were being controlled. I hate what I have to ask her, do you get it. Do you get that if Lucky and she had... hell, I can't even use that word because it wasn't sex, not if she wasn't making the choice of her own free will."

Gulping hard as she got what had been going on, Felicia said "Jason Morgan owns the station they were staying at. He has to be behind some of the stuff going on in town, Mac."

"Good for him." he said coldly. "Without evidence I can't charge him and I won't be looking for it. I don't give a damn if he makes every single one of them pay. For once I am on Morgan's side."

Maxie heard what they were saying and while she felt bad for Elizabeth especially since it meant she wouldn't be back with Lucky, she knew she had to warn him. Going back to her room, packing up a few things making sure to include her transplant medication for when they were on the run, Maxie snuck out her bedroom window after her dad had gone to bed and her mom to the guest room.

Arriving at Kelly's, she entered and saw that Lucky's room was empty. Leaving she hurried to the Blue's club but it was closed. Leaving yet again she went to the house on Charles Street and sure enough, Lucky's car was in the driveway.

Slipping around the back, she peeked in the window and saw Emily standing there drinking a glass of milk and wondered why she was there that late.

Checking the doors, she found the back door unlocked like usual and quietly slipped in and up the stairs. Seeing Lucky's room was empty she moved on down the hallway to find him only to see the man of her dreams had moved into his parents bedroom.

"Okay a tad bit creepy." she muttered just as she heard footsteps. When Emily entered the same room, taking to Lucky about a baby, she tried to figure out what was going on, only for her eyes to widen as she saw him lean down and kiss Emily's tummy and say goodnight little Laura.

No she thought, she had to be wrong. There was no way,none that Lucky would marry Emily, none. Backing away, deciding to wait in Lucky's room, she gave a quiet chuckle, duh, of course Lucky wasn't married and having a baby with Emily, it was more than likely Nik's.

When Maxie heard Lucky calling out Emily' name then saying yes baby, yes, she gave up what little hope she had and staggered down the back stairs, leaving the door wide open as she fled quickly from the scene of her broken heart.

Back at the house, Lulu was sitting in the window, angry with Stefan for his hanging up on her when she called. All she had wanted to know was where her mother was so she could join her. Seeing the platinum blond hair leaving her house, she tried to figure out who that had been but decided it didn't matter as she heard Emily betraying Nik as Lucky and she got louder and louder while having sex.

Jason entered through the delivery door and slipped up to the room. Seeing Jeff Webber sitting on the worn recliner he said "I had the entire place scrubbed top to bottom but I wanted her someplace safe but familiar. This used to be my room."

Moving to the bed, he sat down next to Elizabeth and leaned down to gently press a kiss on her forehead. "I love you and I hope you wake up soon. There is so much I have to tell you."

Jeff watched as the man's eyes never left his daughter, and asked about his plans. "Its been handled, even the Jones girl. She just found out that Lucky is married to Emily."

"So your sister fell into the very trap she intended for Elizabeth?" he asked. When Jason gently traced the edge of Elizabeth's face, he said "Would you mind staying with her for the night. Its fine if you want to lay down next to her."

With that, the blond doctor joined his wife in the room across the hall. "Jeff, I thought you were going to take to the night shift."

"I would but I think that the man she would prefer to wake up to is Jason." he said a bit bittersweet about it. "Its only a matter of time before Sleeping Beauty awakes."

"You know, Elizabeth never liked that particular fairy tale." she said contemplatively.

"I know." he said then fell into bed next to his wife, knowing that they needed their sleep because when Elizabeth woke up it would be a very long day for all of them.

Jason watched Elizabeth sleeping for almost an hour, silently sitting next to her his finger tracing across her skin, his eyes feasting on her peacefulness.

Looking over he saw the box of books and gave a soft chuckle as he pulled out Venice and began to read to her about the glass factories then before he knew it, he was laying down next to her, as he talked about tours of the Murano glass factory.

There was silence as the comfort of being so close to Elizabeth eased him into sleep. Then his body moved toward the warmth in the bed, his arm encircling the sleeping woman as his faced ended up buried in her curls.

It was almost dawn when an arm moved only not to get very far as it felt like a strong steel band was holding her down. At first terrified, Elizabeth then felt that sense of security she only found with one man.

Looking down at the hands holding her tightly, hands she had dreamed of, hands she had sketched a hundred times, Elizabeth turned her head just a bit and saw Jason was fast asleep in bed beside her.

Her mind began to put together the pieces. The day they met, the day at the railroad car, the day at Jake's. His shooting, her rescue, then every single moment of their time together flashed in front of her eyes.

Including the moment she had chosen to stay to try and save Lucky only to lose herself instead. Her facing the truth on the island, her silly plan to prove herself strong and capable by not letting fear control her as she got to know the locals.

Then she had come home and told everyone the truth, the arguments, the threats and then finally through the fuzziness of being drugged what had been done to her. The letters she had managed to get out to Jason, clearly he had either gotten it or had come home on his own.

Her supposed wedding, her kidnapping, suddenly her mind went to his hands, then she recalled how he had held the gun on Marino when he had threatened her down at the docks and she knew, she just knew that the safety she had felt in that moment, that it had been Jason rescuing her.

Then came the pain, the throwing up, feeling safe but at the same time like she was dying. She wondered for about half a second if she had died and if this was heaven but her eyes traveled over the room and she couldn't help hoping that heaven was a little nicer than a room over Jake's Bar.

Carolyn had come to check on her daughter when she saw the blue eyes that were open and hid her gasp when she saw that unlike what they had expected there wasn't confusion in them, but love, clearly felt for the man laying on the bed next to her.

Jeff saw Carolyn hadn't gone into Elizabeth's room and concerned came out of their own and found out why she had stopped forward progress and had to wipe his own tears away when Elizabeth pressed her lips to Jason's.

Jason was feeling like he was home, like he had everything he had ever wanted as he lay there holding Elizabeth. If he kept his eyes closed, he could almost believe that they were laying there asleep after a long night together.

That they were just a normal couple enjoying a laying in as he held her in his arms. Then as consciousness returned, he felt a sense of joy at realizing her hand was now on his arm that she must have moved a bit at some point in the night.

Then there was the sensation of soft plush lips pressing against his own. His heart stopped but his eyes quickly opened and saw a set of very close sapphire blue eyes staring into his.

They quickly closed but the pressure against his lips grew. Unable to help himself he returned the kiss, the tears falling onto her face as he began to realize this wasn't a dream and that Elizabeth had finally come home to him.

When they finally pulled apart, both of them opened their eyes and Jason felt Elizabeth's hand brush away the wetness from his cheeks. "Hey."

"Hi." she answered, her voice rusty from disuse.

"You know, I might not be up on my fairy tales but I thought it was Prince Charming who kissed Sleeping Beauty to wake her up." he said.

Smiling shyly at him, she tried to speak but was unable to at first then gaining courage said "I love you."

His arms tightened around her again as he replied "I love you too, god how I love you. I am only sorry it took me so long to get back. We have lost so much time."

"Jason..." Letting her body regain strength she said. "In my head, I was marking the time, before I was rescued, I would imagine us at my studio, our safe place. Then when I was rescued, I dreamed we traveled the world. That we spent Spring in Rome, Summer in Sienna and fall traveling around Tuscany but winters, winters we were in the mountains, together with you reading to me as I painted all the sites we had visited."

Jeff hated to do it, but they had to check on Elizabeth. "I hate to break this up, but Elizabeth you need to drink some water and we need to check you over."

Jason pressed a kiss against Elizabeth's lips and said "Your parents have been with you all this time, let them check you over then we can continue talking because by this time next year we will have lived those dreams for real."

Elizabeth nodded, then taking her eyes off Jason saw her dad's happy tears as he took her blood pressure. Seeing her mom's eyes watching her, clearly not sure what to expect, she greeted her only for her dad to order her to hush for a second.

Glaring at him until he removed the cuff, she was quickly told that she was doing better but that she needed a brain scan, just in case. Then Jeff sat down his medical equipment and was not sure how to stop being a doctor and start being a parent.

"Oh for god's sake." said the woman standing in the doorway behind Carolyn. She had talked to the parents on the boat trip and had a good idea that it was so much easier for them to be doctors than to deal with human emotions. "Just hug your kid, tell her you love her and that you two are idiots. We don't have that much time before the hoard begins to find out she is in town."

There was some giggling from Elizabeth as her parents descended on her and hugged her tightly whispering that they loved her."I love you too but may I have some water?"

Pulling back a bit to reach for the bottle they had put in the small refrigerator, Jeff was handed it by Jason who was still sitting on that side of the bed.

"Well now that that is done, you have a big problem." said Jane glaring at the man on the bed. Seeing their complacency she snapped "Felicia confessed to her husband and he came to see my son. Jax the idiot can't lie if his life depended on it."

"Its okay, Lady Jane." said Jeff. Looking at Jason he confessed. "Morgan said that it would come out today. We are prepared."

"Really?" she mocked. "Are you ready for the fact that he arrested the entire Spencer family including Lucky's new wife? Your sister?"

Seeing Elizabeth's eyes darken in fear then clear up, Jason said "Yes, we were expecting it. Jax was too honest to lie and for the most part so is Felicia. Its going to be fine, my only worry was that Elizabeth wouldn't wake up before all of this happened."

"I am awake." she said to the older woman who threw up her hands then folded her arms and looked at them.

"I promise, Lady Jane, it has been handled." said Jason. "I have to talk to Elizabeth though, if you think you are up to it?"

He asked his eyes on hers and knowing that they had to talk this out so that Elizabeth was aware that he was completely on her side and that all the others outside of those who had helped were on their own.

"Yes." she said gently as he reached out and enfolded her much smaller hand into his. "I think we need to be honest with one another."

Jeff and Carolyn decided to get the lay of the land and then call Audrey to check in on her but as they entered Kelly's for breakfast they saw Jeff's stepmother and their other two children.

The happy reunion was tempered as what they couldn't talk about weighed heavily on their minds and hearts. Then Jeff said "That private patient I have been taking care of, woke up."

There was quiet joy as they waited for their waitress. "Hi, may I take you order?"

Without using names, Jeff informed his children that the guilty parties were under arrest and that even now Jason was with Elizabeth.

There was silence then Jason said "Your letter didn't catch up to me until just before the wedding."

"You were one of the men, that stole AJ's car, weren't you?" she asked her eyes on him then seeing his serious expression asked "Was he mad about his car blowing up?"

Jason gave a reluctant grin as he said "I helped him get Michael back, I think he forgot all about what we did to his car."

Giggling a bit at the idea, she said "Did you ever ask him?"

"No." he said seriously then chuckling said "I probably should ask him if he wants me to replace it."

Losing his grin, Jason said "I told him what was going on, asked for his help. He said yes, even helped to make sure that Gia wasn't an issue. I owe him more than I can ever thank him for."

"I do too." she said shuddering then asked. "Jason, I just don't get it, I mean I knew Emily didn't like the idea of us together, but why? Who do that to me?"

"I have no more answers than when I returned as to the why, I do know the how." he said grimly. "She tried hypnosis with a doctor that used to work for Sonny and us."

"Sonny, he knew?" she asked truly hurt by that one.

"Not at first, but when he found out, he let it continue." he said simply. "Carly was guilty of it too, mainly because she hated the idea of you and I together out of jealousy."

"I felt fuzzy and was afraid, that was when I wrote that second letter to you." she said wiping her tears. "I felt so weak, so scared then it was all gone, I just had no more fight in me."

Jason put the question of the second letter to be brought up later and said "Luke seduced Felicia Jones to get access to a set of keys belonging to Kevin Collins. I am not sure which one but one of the co-conspirators, either Emily or Lucky, hell maybe both of them broke into his office and stole some very powerful psychotropic drugs."

"They kept telling me it was for my own good that Helena messed with my mind." she said her eyes on him but clearly she was seeing the past. "I tried to tell them that even if she had messed with my mind, that had nothing to do with my heart. Lucky kept talking about that permanent lock stuff and Emily about the musketeers and all I wanted was to escape. But to me, the worst, it was Nik. He sat there not saying a word, not helping me, just letting them do what they were doing. He knew better but still let them drug me."

Elizabeth's sobs reached into Jason's soul as he held onto her while she cried. "It was worse, Jason. Worse than my rape. That at least the physical attack was over quickly, but every single day, Lucky would kiss me, would try to touch me, but somehow, somehow I had the strength to stop that at least, so why couldn't I stop the rest?"

Hearing her sad tone, lifted her chin so she could see into his eyes. "You had no control, about the only thing that Emily did right was refuse to allow the doctor to tell you to have sex with Lucky."

Gagging, struggling to stand, but unable to, she took the waste bucket and threw up what little was on her stomach as she got that Lucky, the man who knew how destroyed she had been after her rape had wanted to control her like that. "Why? Jason, why do this?"

"Their excuse was Helena, that Lucky needed you but Elizabeth after they thought you were dead, Lucky would pretend to mourn when someone brought you up, but there were none of those disastrous side affects that Spencer said would happen."

Jason couldn't lie to her, but HATED having to tell her the oh so very ugly truth. "Elizabeth, I came home, I got the answers and there is so much I have to tell you. I wanted to punish them, to hurt them like I believe they hurt you."

Jason's hands were clenched tightly as he looked at her, willed her to see that he had had to do what he did. When he felt her soft hands on top of his, prying them apart, he felt her thread her fingers into his then watched unable to move as she pressed a kiss to them.

"Jason, tell me." she said softly. Hearing what he had done, from Taggert to Nik, she said "I wish that I could tell you to stop, but I want them to know what it is like to have total control taken from them. To know what it felt like to me."

Jason lifted Elizabeth, held her in his arms as they drew strength from not only being close to one another but from knowing they were going to make it through this.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Back at Kelly's, Mac Scorpio entered the diner then looked at Audrey Hardy then the other four and said "I need to speak to your granddaughter."

"Mac, I am not so sure she is up to this. She has been in a coma all this time." said Audrey then heard her son push back his chair and stand. "Jeff, what is it?

"Commissioner Scorpio, I presume." he said holding out his hand. "Dr. Jeff Webber. Just give Elizabeth the day, she has a lot to process but for now, may I suggest that you listen to the small recorder my wife has for you."

Mac took it, then stepped outside to listen to it privately along with the tall doctor. Hearing the people involved in their own words was like lighter fluid being thrown on his already raging anger.

"Webber, can you come to the station. I am expecting the Quartermaines at any moment, considering that I arrested Emily. This and you might help them face what she did."

"Doubtful, or didn't you know, I used to be married to Monica, until she cheated on me with my brother." he said dryly. Seeing Mac's eye brow rise, he said "Oh, and my second ex-wife was part of a plot by Scott Baldwin to steal Jason Moore's trust fund when he was a kid, mainly because Susan his mother was her cousin. There is a lot of distance for a reason."

"Either way, I need them to see someone who is part of this, because Emily will deny her part, she was so shocked when we arrested her that if I hadn't heard it with my own ears, I would have doubts." he admitted.

At the station, Mac and Jeff entered and he asked the doctor to observe from the setup in his office as he went into the interrogation room where Emily was being kept.

Alan entered and stood there with his wife, wondering how Mac could make that big of a mistake so as to arrest their daughter as they were told by Detective Garcia that they were welcome to listen in as Justus entered the room to be her attorney.

Emily wouldn't break the law, and this bit about it being because of Elizabeth's death, well that made even less sense. She had been broken up regarding her best friend's death, she would never have harmed her.

"Justus, thank god. They think I killed Elizabeth." she said completely confused.

"That isn't exactly correct." Mac said. "The charges were conspiracy to commit kidnapping in the first degree in regards to Elizabeth Webber."

"Mac, what is your evidence?"

Taking out the report that Taggert had compiled so long ago and had dismissed out of lord knows what reason, Mac said "This is a tox report from the incident involving the carjacking of AJ's car. During a search of her studio after the carjacking, we found some biological material. The DNA tests prove that it was Elizabeth's vomit. There were also a very high doses of Phenobarbital, Trazodone,and anti-nausea medications."

"Mac, I have heard of these drugs, but still I don't get what that has to do with anything?" asked Justus.

"Emily, would you know why these drugs were found in Elizabeth's vomit." he asked the medical intern.

Emily felt her mind racing as she tried to come up with a reason then said with a huge inner smile. "Well it sounds like Helena was still trying to control Elizabeth. We all know that these are hypnosis drugs. Now don't you feel bad, if you had believed me when I told you at the time she was being forced to forget Lucky and tricked into saying she loved Jason."

Mac had had hope that maybe Emily would tell the truth and he could offer a deal, but clearly she was going to try and deny that she had any part in this. "And that these are the very same drugs stolen from Kevin Collins office? Are you saying Helena broke in and stole them."

"Or had someone else who was working for her do so." said Emily now realizing that she could blame it all on Helena, after all she had been drugging Elizabeth to begin with, she had to have been.

"That's interesting because during the investigation the only people the medical staff saw near his office during that time was Lucky Spencer and you, Emily."

"Do you really think that I would be part of drugging Elizabeth, she was my best friend." she said glaring at Mac while Justus was wondering what the heck was going on, this arrest made no sense.

"Actually Emily, that is exactly what I think." he said then reached into the box in front of him and pulling out yet another bit of evidence that Taggert had ignored. A whole pill found in the vomit that had never been fingerprinted. "See, this little green capsule has your fingerprints on it."

Emily had no answers to that and before Justus could speak, Mac continued. "And we know that my soon to be ex-wife had the only keys,and how Luke Spencer got them away from her."

"Mac I have no idea what you are talking about and I swear, I have no idea why Elizabeth would have been taking the drugs. Maybe she took them herself, after all she was acting a bit oddly then. Yes, maybe when she was there with Lucky, while he was having an appointment with Kevin, maybe Elizabeth stole them not knowing what they did."

Mac shook his head then said sadly "She isn't here to defend herself so you what, blame her for what all of you did. Emily, I have an eye witness. Someone who came forward. You should also know, last night after Felicia finally told me the truth, I did some digging and well Cassadine has a lot of other charges against him right now."

"Nik?" she asked her bravado clearly starting to fall apart. "Nik told you?"

"Told me what? When according to you, the only think that happened was either Helena gave her or Elizabeth herself took drugs. Emily, I am going to give you a few minutes with Justus to get your story straight, but you should know, I have everything. And when I walk out that door, your parents, well they will be told."

Emily started to protest but her handcuffs kept her tied to the table as Justus read the evidence that Mac handed him. Reading the unsigned reports, clearly from more than one perspective, he turned to his young pregnant cousin and said "Emily, what have you done?"

In the hub, Mac saw Edward entering blustering about suing for wrongful arrest and held up his hand. Taking Alan, Monica and Edward into his office to where Jeff was sitting he said "Before you say anything, you need to hear it from Emily's own mouth what she did."

Hitting play, he saw that Edward was still in denial, right up to the point that they heard her telling Nik that her only regret was that Elizabeth had died before they had found out exactly what Helena had done to Lucky that she was still a afraid that the time bomb was still in his head.

There was silence then Jeff said "Your daughter was studying to be a doctor, she knew the dangers of those drugs, Monica. Yet, she forced them onto my daughter, she could have killed her. There is something else, something that was sent to me anonymously."

"I didn't give it to Justus, because it is not admissible in court, but I felt you needed to hear it." said Mac.

They heard the sound of car doors closing and wheels squealing as a car began to drive. Then they heard Emily's voice as she sounded afraid.

"_Please, you are making a mistake. My brother will kill you for this. Do you know who I am? I am Emily Quartermaine, I am under the protection of the Corinthos organization."_

Then they heard from someone in the car. "_So, we should let you go. What about your friend, how about we keep her?"_

"_No, look, do you know who she is. She is Lucky Spencer's fiancee." _Alan heard his daughter's clearly distraught state.

"_So unlike you, she isn't under the protection of the Corinthos organization, is that what you are saying?" _

"_I uh, I don't think so but you don't want to mess with the Spencers, they are related to the Cassadines." _Jeff grimaced, wanting to scream about the damn Spencers.

"_Well what is wrong with her? Your friend is acting stoned. Maybe she will want to stay with us, she looks like she likes to party. Those eyes, I recognize that expression, yeah, this girl is high, she is a party girl."_

"_No, no you don't get it, Elizabeth isn't a druggie."_

Mac stopped the tape and said "Yet in there, she just tried to blame Elizabeth for the drugs, claimed she might have been."

"_Seriously, either you are naive or you are a druggie too. This girl, she is out of it. Look at those eyes."_ The parents of the young woman were reminded of a time when Emily HAD had a drug problem and winced.

"_I said LOOK AT HER."_ snarled the man in front seat. "_DO IT."_

"_Now tell me your pal isn't on drugs."_ sneered the man on the tape.

Emily said "_I didn't say she wasn't on drugs, just that she wasn't a druggie. I gave her the drugs, I did it. I had to."_

"_Well well, now this sounds like something I want to know." _

"_Look, you don't understand. Without the drugs, she will run off, do something that she will regret."_ she said almost hysterical as she confessed. "_You see, the hypnotic suggestion she was under, it was wearing off and if she leaves, my other friend will die."_

Monica wanted to beg Mac to turn it off, but the icy green of Jeff's eyes kept her silent as she listened to her daughter make excuses for her behavior.

"_What kind of suggestion?" _

"_To make her pliable to the... to the..." _

By now, no one in that room was in denial as Edward tried to figure out how to explain to his wife what their granddaughter had done to the Webber girl she had always claimed was her closest friend.

"_Spit it out, princess." _They heard the carjacker snap.

"_To the idea of marrying Lucky. She has to marry him. If she doesn't, he will go off and hurt people, a lot of people I care about." _

Mac saw Alan's hand shaking as he reached for his wife's as they listened to their daughter's response.

"_Pliable, you mean... damn... Damn, you mean if I were to tell her to give me a blow job, she would?"_ Monica gasped in horror, her mind going to a very dark place and feeling even sicker at the idea of what her daughter did.

"_No. I wouldn't let them put anything like that in there."_ she muttered clearly not liking the topic of discussion.

"_Its sounds like they wanted to."_ he said speculatively.

"_Lucky, well he did."_ she confessed then her parents heard her next excuse and wanted to blame Spencer but it was quite clear that Emily had been complacent in all of it. "_But its only because he was brainwashed, once that stuff is gone __from his head, he would never want to do anything like that. Lucky and Elizabeth love each other they truly do."_

"_Doesn't sound like love to me princess, not if she has to be forced to be with him."_ Edward found himself agreeing with the carjacker as he began to be grateful for what the man had done, because he honestly believed Elizabeth would have rather died than raped again.

"_But she is just confused, she was a mess because of everything that was happening. Its why she thought she was in love with this other man, if she was in her right mind, well she would know, that Lucky and her have a permanent lock."_ she said earnestly.

"_So, pretty lady, how about this. In exchange for freedom, you tell me how you got the drugs and why?"_

"_The hospital."_ she muttered wishing she had kept her mouth shut. "_I volunteer there. Now let us go."_

"_No, I want to know why, I mean do you hate this girl, is that why you are forcing her to do this?" _

"_Forcing her?"_ she asked clearly not understanding thought Jeff, he didn't get it, she totally seemed to believe that she was doing the right thing.

"_Oh, you don't get it. I am not forcing her. Elizabeth if she was in her right mind, wouldn't walk away from her true love. She was brainwashed by Helena Cassadine into forgetting Lucky and loving my brother."_

Monica gasped as she recalled Jason and his friendship with Elizabeth, wondering if it had been more than they had suspected.

"_Why would this Helena care about your brother?" _

"_She doesn't, at least... well I don't know why she used Jason. I mean we thought she wanted Elizabeth with Nik, but something has to have been done to Elizabeth. There is no way she would chose Jason over Lucky, none at all."_

To those in the room, Emily was the one who would not chose anyone else over Lucky Spencer. Not even her brother who had done so much for her as the tape ended and those in the room couldn't meet Jeff's eyes, all aware that his daughter had lost her life because of their child.

Mac stood then walked into the room next door. "Well is she ready to confess."

"I want to talk to my husband first." said Emily defiantly with her arms crossed.

"Against my council, Emily is refusing to cooperate." Justus told Mac then looked at his young cousin and said "Emily, please, rethink this."

"No." she said then demanded to be allowed to talk to Lucky.

"I can't allow two co-conspirators to speak to one another." said Mac denying her request. "Emily, your parents are my office. I am going to send them in, please, listen to what they have to say."

Alan and Monica entered the room, the bleak expression in their eyes upsetting Emily as she tried to deny what she was being accused off. "Em, they have a tape of the carjacking of AJ's car. They have you on tape, it can't be used in court, but we know everything."

"Alan, Emily is refusing to talk to Mac, he is talking about bringing this to the DA who..." Shaking his head in disgust at what he had heard, the man continued.

"The conspiracy charge, they were low-balling it to get them to plead guilty. At the very least, they can charge them with several accounts of aggravated assault and attempted murder for every single pill that they forced Elizabeth to take. They have them on kidnapping, that much is clear plus stealing the drugs, and though Mac didn't tell me for sure, they might be able to charge her with Elizabeth's death."

Emily gasped in anger. "She died at the hands of the carjackers, I had nothing to do with that."

"Emily, it was in continuation of a crime started by Lucky, Luke and you along with whoever else they find to have been involved." he said. "Add to that what is going on with Alexis and Nik and you have royal mess."

"Why would that affect it?" asked Alan confused.

"Nik's involvement with the two mob families is under scrutiny and they have a federal prosecutor already planning to send him to prison for the rest of his life." said Justus.

"But what I am also talking about is the press. They are going to crucify Emily. The Spencers are old news, they are constantly pulling this kind of crap, but Emily being involved and who the victim is... she is going to be portrayed very badly especially when you consider she married Lucky and that Nik might be the father of her child."

"Why would one thing have anything to do with the other and besides, how can they charge me?" asked Emily totally obvious to her crimes.

Monica who had been through a murder trial knew how dirty the press could get and this was even worse than what she had gone through. "Emily, you are now married to Lucky. The very man you said... never mind, you just don't get it do you?"

Bleakly looking out into the station, Monica then looked at her daughter and wondered where she had gone so wrong with raising her.

Edward was asking Mac what he could do to help his little girl only for the man to look at him and say "Edward, before you decide to do that, ask yourself this. Who has been hurt the most by this, then think about one more thing. How do you think Jason is going to react."

"But he barely knew the Webber girl, from what I have seen, these young girls they fall all over him." he protested only for Mac to tell him to think long and hard before doing what he believed he was thinking on. "I don't know what you mean."

"I do old man and if you help Emily escape justice we will be enemies and you don't want me for an enemy." said Jason as he strode over to where Mac was speaking to Edward. "I want to see my sister."

"Morgan, I am not so sure that is such a good idea." he warned.

"Have an officer in there, I don't give a damn." he said turning his back on Edward and towards the room that Mac had indicated. Entering and leaving the door open, he looked at his sister and said "I have done whatever I could for you over the years, covered up your foolishness, protected you, even gave in and avoided the woman I loved, that you knew I loved to help you and her."

Em started speaking, started to protest but something she saw in Jason's eyes kept her quiet. There was clearly anger and the part that terrified her, no love.

"You betrayed her and me. You sit there, acting like you did nothing wrong. I was in that car, Emily. I heard your excuses, I heard you betrayals first hand."

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "Jason, I have never betrayed you."

"I found these, at the mansion, I went there today." he said waving around a folded crumpled letters. Taking out the first one, he said "Its to me from Elizabeth, clearly you read it, and after that, you still went forward with your sick little plan. You knew and what, figured that Lucky's happiness meant more than my own, than Elizabeth's?"

Alan was handed the letter, reading it, he felt for his son, even more so when he read the one that Jason had clearly written to Elizabeth.

"She never got it, Emily must have been getting her mail while Elizabeth was faking her death, she had drank poison, could have died as a result of feeling obligated to save Lucky and you still just couldn't keep your nose out of our lives." he said glaring at his sister.

When Emily didn't reply, Jason said "The funny thing is, I blamed Carly for her not getting it, since she is usually the one manipulating my life, but no not this time, it was you, wasn't it Emily."

Emily stared in anger and said "You were trying to get between two people who loved each other so much, you know that they were meant to be together. But no, you just couldn't stay away, Jason. Lucky was meant to be with Elizabeth and you, I don't know, maybe you were meant to be with Robin. But either way, Elizabeth and you don't love each other, you can't."

Looking at his sister, he said "You little girl have no idea what you are talking about. And Emily, if Lucky loves Elizabeth so much, even now, why is he married to you?"

With that, he walked back out to the other areas and then said "Mac, Elizabeth is getting her brain scan right now, she will be available for questioning this afternoon."

"Wait!" called out Emily. "What do you mean Elizabeth will be available for questioning, she is dead."

Jason turned and looked at his sister. Elizabeth and he had discussed this, she hadn't want to face Emily until his sister already knew she was alive so he was giving this pleasure while her mother went with her to the hospital.

"I fake her death, though it was a near thing, Emily. She has been in a coma all this time, the first part of it dealing with the side affects from the drugs you were giving her. The high concentrations almost killed her. You almost killed your so called best friend."

"No, no, I watched over her." she said as she looked at her parents begging them to realize she wouldn't just walk away, that she would have watched over it, while Justus who knew he should stop her from speaking just let her talk.

"Cardiac arrhythmia,Hypothermia, pulmonary edema, not to mention the withdrawal symptoms as the result of the huge doses you had her on. And you consider this watching over her." said Jeff angrily.

"Do you know she was awake and aware of everything going on, while you were maneuvering her around like a living barbie doll. Do you know that it reminded my little girl of her rape?"

Mac saw Emily's denial and then heard her next response and was shocked when Jason moved that quickly as he was now in front of her his hands holding tightly onto her shoulders as he snarled.

"Lucky fucking Spencer did NOT save Elizabeth after she was raped. He did what any normal decent person would do after finding someone in the park. Never mind that it was his standing her up that lead to her being in the park. Lucky fucking Spencer did not save Elizabeth, Emily."

"And Emily..." Jason let her go, not wanting to create trouble just yet "Elizabeth is a strong woman who is going to heal on her own with her family and me there by her side. Then when she is well enough, we are going away together, we are going to rediscover what makes us work so well. Eventually I hope to marry her, but if and when that happens, anyone who has anything to do with helping the Cassadines, the Spencers or you, well they will be cut out of our lives."

With that, Jason walked out of the room, leaving the choice up to his family but knowing that they will would stay and help their daughter, it was what he had come to expect from them.

Robin was watching the brain scan of the patient, she had been told that the woman had been given the same drugs she had been creating and to her that meant she had to be Jason's mystery friend.

Seeing the small frail brunette as the wheelchair was wheeled out five minutes later, she gasped when she saw that it was the girl that Lucky Spencer had been dating when she was last in town.

Thinking maybe she had the wrong end of the stick, she approached just in time to hear her speaking to the older woman with her. "So, are the eggs fried, scrambled or poached."

"Elizabeth, that isn't appropriate, now every single time I eat an egg I will be thinking of your brain." there was a sigh and a shake of her head. "I like my eggs, they are a good source of protein."

"Well what about my egg, is it healed?" she said with a smile at her mom. "and how much longer do I need this chair?"

"Your legs are going to be a little weak for a while but as you regain your strength we will move you to a walker, then a cane and finally on your own." she said running her fingers through her little girls hair which was now long enough to reach her backside.

Elizabeth had insisted on showering and Carolyn had helped her, a bit surprised that Jason hadn't until she heard that Elizabeth hadn't asked him. She had told her mom that she wanted to be healthier before asking him for that kind of help.

"We have to get you out of here, before anyone else sees you." said Carolyn only to see the young doctor who had helped walking their way. "Do you know that young woman."

Elizabeth looked and said "That is Robin Scorpio."

"She is the doctor who helped with the drugs we gave you."

Groaning, Elizabeth said "She is Jason's ex-fiancee."

"Elizabeth?" Robin asked when she nodded, Robin said "I am glad you are doing better. May we talk for a few minutes?"

Agreeing, reluctantly, Elizabeth and she went to a private area while Carolyn waited outside. "I know this is odd, but I guess, I just wanted to meet you."

Not sure what to say, Elizabeth just said "Did Jason tell you I was alive?"

"No, I didn't even know who you were." she said as she explained that she would have helped no matter what. "I just knew that he was a helping a friend, it wasn't until I came home to help Sonny that I found out it was the woman he was in love with."

Seeing Elizabeth didn't know what to say to that either, Robin sighed then said "I just, I guess I just wanted to meet you. I ruined my own chance with Jason, yeah, I had help from Carly, but in the end, he is right. We were not meant to be forever."

There was a moment's silence then Robin continued "I am sure that there is quite a story to your... well story."

"There is, but I have to talk to your Uncle Mac first, he I guess arrested the Spencers and Emily who had been drugging me." she stated.

"So that was what that was about." said Robin wondering if she would ever learn the whole story. "I uh, am going back to Paris, I did what I could for Sonny and I am hoping to talk to your doctors or rather your parents about your reactions to the drugs, but I just wanted to say, good luck."

"Thank you." she didn't know what else to say because deep down she knew that Jason and she didn't need luck, that they were going to be fine.

Over the next two weeks, it was as if a storm cloud had settled over certain residents of Port Charles. Nik had been deported, not that Jason was too upset about that. He wished it had been more but Cassadine had been shocked to realize he had been duped by the Zachara family.

Now they owned Cassadine shipping, such as it was after Nik refused to marry Claudia after all. The entire corporation was now Anthony Zachara's chance to go legit. Nik had tried to fight it, but the entire mess with the Spencers had them publicly tarred and feathered and their suppliers and their own customers had dried up until they had no choice but to just let everything go.

Nik had had a run in with Helena and had killed his own grandmother, but before he could reap the benefits, he had learned that Greece was kicking him out and in Russia his title was one of thousands. Living in the old family dacha, he was bitter when he heard that he had been convicted in absentia for his part regarding Elizabeth's trauma.

Now he had no choice but to stay where he was and Nik wasn't happy. He had none of the trappings of being a prince, none of the money and his own family was now out of his reach.

Scott had gone to rescue Laura, gotten into a fight with Luke who had escaped jail and the three of them were all now missing. Nik wasn't sure but he knew either Luke killed his uncle several months back even if he didn't have proof.

Too bad his scenario was incorrect, instead they were now patients in the hospital, trapped in their own minds, both wishing that they had made difference choices after a visit from Jason Morgan.

Luke was the first to die, the nightmares he had begun having about his father and what he had to him driving him to commit suicide, Laura was stronger but she was still trapped inside her own mind, reliving her life over and over again, wishing that she had made different choices but it was too late for regrets.

Lucky and Emily had gotten off lightly in the court of law and the Quartermaines had been worried that Jason would blame them as they ended up on probation after certain pieces of evidence had been tossed out by the judge. Jason didn't blame them, he was well aware that it was Tracy, hoping he would disown the family so that she had a clear shot at ELQ.

Emily and Lucky weren't happy, both had expected Elizabeth to forgive them. Instead she had told them both they were dead to her and that she was done forgiving the unforgivable.

Emily had given birth to a little boy, not a little girl but he was clearly not Lucky's as he had Nik's coloring. Emily doted on her young son while his father of record escaped as much as possible.

When he had a car accident and got hurt, Emily had been the one taking care of him, had been cheated on by him when he had found a gullible enough nurse to get him drugs.

She had also lost any chance of being a doctor thanks to her even minor conviction since it involved drugs, so instead she worked as a medical sales rep, which paid decent. A good thing considering Lucky rarely helped with the bills or even tried to hold a job.

Now, she was trapped in marriage she would love to end, but her own pride and her parents warning about Lucky were playing repeatedly in her head as she worked hard and spent as much time as possible with her son.

Until the day that Lucky ran off after clearing their bank account and IRAs, leaving her a note saying he had found a clue as to his parents whereabouts. She was happy for a while, until he didn't return and she was a single parent who had lost her friends and whose only companionship was her sister in law who kept such a close eye on her, she had no one male in her life.

Lucky who wasn't heard of for almost four years, turned up eventually a physically and mentally broken man but he kept quiet as to where he had been and what had happened to him. Emily, just took him back, positive that this time, he had learned his lesson and would stay with her and be a father to their son.

Until he left six months later, clearing out her bank account and and with a much younger red head at his side...

Alexis had sputtered along, living her life, until the day that Helena showed up with a small baby. When the woman left it with her, she had asked whose child it was.

"It should have been Nicolas', but that tramp daughter of yours, she couldn't even do that right. The father is unknown." It wasn't until the little boy was sick that Alexis learned the truth, the father was none other than Sonny Corinthos, the how and when well, they didn't matter, not anymore as Alexis realized her daughter was dead.

Wanting a fresh start, Alexis moved away, only for her past to follow her, time and time again. She was only living for her child and her grandchild when she saw the article in the newspaper a few years later...

Lucky was furious with himself. A few years ago he had been tossed in a jail cell in Alabama, now he had stupidly followed the beautiful red head to Ireland and he was in prison as a former IRA and current hitman for hire Ronan O'Rielly. The woman Siobhan had been his mistress and had set Lucky up so that Ronan could come home.

The woman had had the gall to come visit him in prison and tell him that they had received a fortune to set him up, that on the day he was finally executed for his crimes, they would get a million dollars.

But the warden had taken a bribe to delay that death, at least for now...

In Port Charles, Carly was not a happy woman, Sonny had everything but what money there was had been left to support him in what they considered compassionate monetary trust.

He had been in a vegetative state since falling into a coma after yet another argument between her and someone in his hospital room. Michael had a trust fund from him, but she couldn't touch it in spite of being his mother, so did Alexis' bastard daughter though she had questioned how that was possible.

She had been shocked to learn that a careless statement about trusts for his children had been put it in thereby taking care of any of his offspring, but she was living on what little they allotted her as his wife and it was contingent on her personally taking care of him.

She had been shocked to be arrested by the police for what had been done to that bitch Elizabeth, she had had no real part in it, but under the conspiracy charge, she had had no choice but to plead guilty to a lesser charge.

Which she had and the only reason she was given probation was her claim of needing to take care of her husband. It was a catch 22, the attorney she had gotten, Ric's father had done his best but there was a good possibility that she would go to prison if and when Sonny died, so she had to keep him alive.

But his being alive tied her to him in ways that burnt deeply in her soul. She had had one night stands for a while at Jake's, but eventually the men had moved on to younger and nicer looking women.

She was pretty much alone, trapped in this house, with only the occasional visits from her mother who had fled town when she had been worried they would arrest her.

Bobbie lived in Florida, doing private duty nursing, but she flatly refused to help her daughter reminding her that Carly hadn't helped her when she had been trying to hold onto the diner after the truth had come out.

Mac Scorpio owned the diner and was still police commissioner. Maxie ran a designer fashion store out of the bottom of it and Georgie when she came home from college would sometimes work a shift for nostalgia's sake.

Every single time Carly entered the small diner down near the docks, she couldn't help wondering how things had gone this wrong, she wanted to blame Elizabeth, but at the same time, she knew that it had all gone wrong before she had ever returned.

Sitting down with her only indulgence left after Jason had left town, Carly ogled the new Port Charles magazine being printed by some former high fashion mogul who had settled in Port Charles after the death of her sister Olivia.

Inside was an article about the latest marriages and every single time Carly saw the section, it reminded her of how she had found out that Jason and Elizabeth had gotten married in Italy from it.

She had actually considered committing suicide the day she had read that, but had reminded herself she had been married several times and that it hadn't changed a thing between Jason had her. After all, she was still the mother of Jason's only child.

First up was an article stating that Dr. Robin Scorpio had left on her honeymoon with Dr. Patrick Drake as they were visiting Australia. Scoffing at the idea of any man marrying Robin, she saw that it had been a double wedding. Maxie had married the editor's nephew.

That Dante Falconari always gave Carly shudders even if she didn't know why, so she just shrugged that news off and went to read the rest of the article. Finding out that Brenda Jacks had been in town infuriated her, but then she reminded herself that in the end, she was still Mrs. Sonny Corinthos, not Brenda.

Reading the death notices, she was not surprised to find Lila Quartermaine had passed, at the age of 89. Deciding to attend the services, certain Jason would return to town to honor his grandmother, Carly tossed down the magazine and didn't read the rest.

She should have, it would have prevented the scene the next day as it announced the birth of the third son to Jason and Elizabeth Morgan as well as that of his twin sister very early the next morning on August 12, 2010.

The photo of the Morgan children, Cameron age seven, Jacob age 3 and the twins Sienna and Christopher would have softened even the hardest of hearts. But Carly didn't have a heart...

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Back in 2003

Jason looked over at Elizabeth as she wrapped up her interview with Mac Scorpio who had as gently as possible asked her to tell them what had happened and what she had remembered.

The DA had been stunned, he had of course heard and read all the evidence but the idea of these people putting so much responsibility for this mess on such a young girl turned his stomach. Even worse was how they had reacted when she had come home and chosen to walk away.

When Elizabeth started to explain about the fuzzy times, she had to stop and take a breather every few moments as she in a flat affect filled them in on everything.

When they got to the carjacking, Jason who had discussed it with AJ and Trevor had hesitated worried about charges but then told them everything he had done.

"Did your brother file an insurance claim on the car?" asked the DA.

Being told no, he said "Then no harm, no foul. I won't be pressing charges."

"What about Emily's attorney?" Jason asked.

"Only the DA can press criminal charges, he can request we investigate but it can't be a carjacking when your brother technically speaking loaned you his car." said the man in the suit.

Elizabeth then let her parents explain what they had had to do to revive her and all about her time in Australia.

"I will be honest here." said the DA a bit unhappy. "Most of the evidence, at least the tapes can't be admitted into a court of law. The rest of the evidence is circumstantial. I need one of them to turn on the others. Who do you think is the weakest link?"

"Lucky himself." said Elizabeth quietly.

"I refuse to offer that man a deal." said the DA coldly. "Spencer and his wife are who I want to charge with the top counts. Luke Spencer as well."

Elizabeth who had been told about the marriage by Jason, was still astounded that Emily had married Lucky. "Nik won't turn against them, he has pretty much been trained to understand that to his mother whose approval he is still after that Lucky always counts more. Same with Alexis, she won't turn because Helena will kill her if it endangers Nik and she won't turn on Luke."

"Why not?" asked Mac, he had always been curious as to why such a smart woman catered to Luke and his family like she always had.

Elizabeth said with a grimace. "I don't know this for sure, but that woman who fell from the parapet at Wyndemere, I think that Luke and she were working together to take down Helena and that Miss Belle died instead."

Seeing the DA looking at him, Mac said "She is right, Alexis won't turn on Luke if that is true. Elizabeth, one thing you haven't mentioned, the guards that Jason had on you, did they see any of this?"

"Sonny pulled the guards." said Jason looking at Mac. "He didn't even have any on her when she was down on his Island. He let the Ruiz brothers get close."

"Who are the Ruiz brothers?" Elizabeth asked.

"Twin brothers who run the Ruiz family drug cartel. They are bald and have tattoos all over their..."

"Manny and Mateo?" she asked shocked. Seeing everyone in the room staring, she looked at Jason, then asked "They are bad guys, really?"

"Yes, they are." he said as calmly as he could.

Elizabeth sat there stunned then said "I drew them, one day down by the beach. I gave them the drawing when one of them mentioned their mom loved art. Jason, I saw them everyday for almost two weeks. They never ever so much as looked sideways at me. They were one of my tasks."

"Tasks?" asked the DA.

"I had some pretty bad stuff happen when I was a teenager, I was trying to get emotionally stronger, trying to work up the courage to stand on my own two feet, without worrying who approved of what I did. I worked my way up to speaking to them."

"Did they ever threaten you?" asked Mac.

In shock, she looked at them then at Jason and said "No, in fact they were very nice. The more talkative one carried my easel back to the hotel one day. Then he said something to one of the bellboys and after that, someone was always with me when I was down drawing on the beach."

Jason kept his mouth shut, knowing that he was walking a tightrope here, because he should look worried but he wasn't, he knew the truth that in spite of their dark business, the two brothers were very protective of women.

"Elizabeth, getting back to who would turn so we can get a conviction, we have the testimony of Kevin Collins regarding the drugs, we have Felicia with how they got access to them and an eyewitness to Lucky and Emily entering the office. What we need is someone to tell why. Juries like to know who what when where and why."

"What we need is someone who hasn't been drugged, the very crime they committed is giving them protection against prosecution." said Mac. "And it has to come directly from them. Morgan, we can't put you on thanks to the carjacking. Is there anyone, anyone at all you can think of who can testify against them. What about Sonny?"

"He had a visit from Carly this afternoon, she had an argument with some woman from New York City by the name of Kate Howard." Trevor's ex mistress had come down to see Sonny, for Dante's sake and had instead of finding out how Sonny was, ended up sending him into the unresponsive state that Jason wanted him in.

He had brought Robin back only because that was what was expected, not because he had wanted Sonny healed. Now, the man was a shell of a body around an active brain, a brain that could think, but would need to be feed, his diaper changed, his most basic needs taken care of by others.

Jason had the perfect person in place to take care of his every single need, the one woman on earth who took pride in being Mrs. Sonny Corinthos, well lets see in six months if she still thought that was an honor.

Leaving the two men behind, they were almost to the door when Jason dropped the bombshell. "Mac, I might have an idea. About that witness. I don't know why I didn't think of it before. Our accountant died, when his brother took over, he found several phones all paid from our accounts."

Mac didn't get it, why would Jason allow them access to their books, but he was even more shocked when the man said "I looked up the numbers, then dismissed it as just extra lines at the time, but now, I think that the calls might be connected. You just busted Cassadine for a connection to the Ruiz family, right?"

Nodding yes, he was told "The phone calls to the Ruiz estate, they were made from these phones and it was about the time that Elizabeth was on the island and then returned to Port Charles. And there were also outgoing calls to the Zacharas and to the Cassadines."

"You are going to turn over your records?" asked the DA doubtfully.

"The phone records at least." said Jason as he continued to spin his web. "I dismissed it at the time because the Zachara family has been slowly going legit for years. I figured they were selling out to Sonny and buying in with the Cassadines."

Mac kept his face set as he recalled the wedding contact he had seen when they had subpenaed the Cassadine records. Old man Zachara might have offered up his daughter in marriage for legit shipping, that made sense.

And with the death of Stefan, he could see the kid screwing up when he realized that he was losing his company and turning to the Ruiz family who he had more than likely been in contact with all this time if these phone records were legit.

"Which would explain why the Ruiz brother's watched over Elizabeth and kept her safe. More than likely as part of a deal with the Cassadines."

"And to make sure that I wasn't around the island." said Jason wrapping it up in a nice tidy bow. The records would prove this out, pulling Sonny and Carly into this little dirty circle allowing him to control their destinies.

Elizabeth was laughing as she ate the dinner her grandmother had made for her even as she explained about not being able to each much. Her grams just hugged her and said "I don't care how much of it you eat, only that at least you eat something."

Talking to her family refusing to leave the sanctuary of Jason's arms, Elizabeth was soon flagging a bit as she rested her head on his shoulders while laughing as Sarah told her the latest about her Internship and Steven teased their grandmother about her latest class project.

"Gram's, you are taking an art class?" Elizabeth asked.

"I wanted to feel close to you, so I decided to try it and found out that while you make sketching look easy, clearly it isn't." she said showing her granddaughter her picture of her foot. "If my feet really looked this bad, I would need to spend a fortune with the podiatrist.

Elizabeth took the drawing then looked at her grams and said "Especially since you gave yourself six toes on the right foot."

"I did not.." she said taking the heavy paper back. Her eyes narrowing as she saw she had, Audrey put the sketchpad down and said "Well now that you are well, I am giving it up. Clearly your artist talent came from your grandfather, not me."

Jason saw Elizabeth was yawning and in spite of her protests, picked her up and carried her to the SUV he had waiting. Explaining to the others that they would see them at Jake's, he said "I promised to take Elizabeth for a drive before she went to bed tonight."

Protesting, she looked out the window and scowled at the man closing the door. "Jason, you promised to let me drive your bike,remember?"

Audrey was shaking her head, explaining about Jason's motorbike when she heard him telling her she was too small to be driving and that she was too tired, that the truck would have to do.

"Fine, but before we leave, I want a ride on the back of your bike." pouted Elizabeth.

Jason watched Elizabeth sleeping, grateful to feel her moving in her sleep as she unknowingly created a hardship for him. With a small chuckle as she wrapped her hands around his arm and moved in closer to his body, he let his worries go and just drifted off to sleep.

Elizabeth woke and as much as she wanted to repeat the previous day, all she did was lay there, watching him sleep. She marveled at the joy she found in being there with him for real finally.

In her dreams they had been together all this time but it wasn't the truth, it had been her way of coping but she knew that she had to get used to this being real. She was sure that Gail Baldwin would tell her that real life wasn't like the dream life she had been living.

That the perfect Jason of her dreams wasn't realistic and that they would need to spend time together and talk to each other to be able to get back to the time where she had been so comfortable with him.

"I can hear you thinking." he said as he woke up. Seeing her smiling, he asked "What is keeping you up?"

"I am not sure, there is so much I have to do, have to face." she said sadly. "It was wonderful spending time with my family, with you but Jason, as much as I hate it, I need to face Lucky, face Emily."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" he asked. "Lucky and Emily are both likely to try and blame you for the mess their lives are in."

"I need to do this because of that. I need them to understand that they can believe that all they want, that they wrong. I just... its hard to explain Jason, but I think that in order to move on, I have to let them know that at this point I haven't forgotten and when I finally forgive it will be for my sake, not theirs." she said.

Jason didn't forgive, he couldn't, but he got that Elizabeth was more soft-hearted than he was. "Would you like me to call Mac and arrange for the meetings since neither of them have gotten bail."

"I am surprised, I would have thought Laura would... oh,that's right, Laura isn't around." she said as it finally sank in that those who had harmed her wouldn't skate for justice. Not this time.

Getting ready, Elizabeth slipped into one of the dresses her mom had picked up for her since all her clothes were too loose. Seeing the incredible soft green dress with sandals and a matching handbag, she giggled then said "Mom was always trying to dress me like this, its funny at five I hated it. Now, I am just thinking I wish that I had my jewelry box, there was a chain in it that would match perfectly."

Jason waited until she was finished braiding her now long hair in a loosely woven strand then while walking to the truck said "Your jewelry box, it is at the penthouse. While I am changing, why don't you find your necklace."

There, Elizabeth was amazed at the boxes being stored in what from the looks of the equipment had been a work out room. Finding the one with her charm necklace, she had slipped it on just as Jason returned. "You know, I know you are fit, but I just don't see you as the sort to use this type of exercise equipment."

"Its not mine, its that girl I told you about, Courtney's." he said then frowned. "I told her she could take it when she left. I wonder why she didn't."

"You said that this Ric and she were leaving for Europe, maybe that is why." she said as she took in the sight before her. Jason looked incredible when he wore jeans and a t-shirt, right now, wearing a pair of black casual pants and a dark gray shirt, he was devastating. "You have any idea how gorgeous you are? But, why are you dressing up?"

"Well you are dressed up." he said uncertainly as he looked at how beautiful she was.

Blushing, she walked over and pressed a kiss on his cheek then said "This was the least dressy of my mom's choices. I was thinking of asking to change into jeans and shirt until I saw you dressed like than just now."

Hearing the sound of someone pounding on his door, Jason kissed her on this lips, quickly but then pulling back said "I think that is Carly, are you sure you are ready to deal with all of this."

With a sigh, then looking at the tall blond man who was clearly worried about her, she said "Yes, because if I can handle Carly, I can surely deal with Emily and Lucky."

With that, they went to the living room and Jason unlocked and before he could even open the door, she had done so herself, pushing her way inside. "Jason, where have you been, I have been waiting for you at the hospital, you won't believe the rumors that have been going around. I even heard someone telling my mom that Eliz-a..."

Carly stopped speaking as she looked at the man she had been speaking to for the first time only to see him holding hands with the woman in question. "I thought you were dead."

"Thought or hoped, Carly?" she retorted. "Either way, no, Jason saved me. He let everyone think I was dead while he helped me heal."

"Good,now that he has played the hero, why don't you leave. I am sure that he doesn't need your thanks." Carly responded even as she frantically tried to think of how to get rid of the other woman.

"I was just about to go." she responded staying calm.

"Good, don't let me stop you." she said with a smirk.

"See, that is the problem, you are stopping us because it is rude to leave a guest alone in your home." said Elizabeth then leaning in conspiratorially she whispered "Oh, I am sorry Carly, but wait, you thought that Jason was staying. Sorry to disappoint you, but no, he is coming with me."

"Look little girl, Sonny is in a coma. So Jason has more important things to worry about then taking you to see Lucky so that you can declare your undying love." she said using Lucky the only card she could find.

"Oh, I know all about coma's, I was just in one." she said then with a sigh, walked around and sat down on the leather sofa. "You aren't going to go, are you, until we hear you out. Well speak Carly, we have lots to do today."

Glaring at her, Carly turned to Jason and said "I need to speak to you privately, tell her to leave."

"Carly, she leaves I go with her, so why don't you do what she suggested and tell us why you are here? I assure you, I am being kept up on how Sonny is doing."

Gritting her teeth but not ready to talk in front of that bitch, Carly said "Never mind, I will speak to you when you come to see me at the hospital."

When he didn't even respond, Carly tossed out "There was a woman in to see Sonny while I was there, she had the nerve to suggest that her child was fathered by Sonny."

"And?" asked Jason not sure what she wanted from him.

"We need to talk about this, now, but of course, you have to protect the little wall flower." she said tossing a glare at Elizabeth who only smiled back at her.

"Carly, what do you want me to do? Tell you it isn't true, because I can't. I have no idea who or why she was saying it and who knows, it might be true. Do you really think that Alexis is the only woman out there with Sonny's child?"

Her blood pressure rising, she snapped. "And what about Micheal's inheritance. This will eat away at it, if the slut is telling the truth."

"Carly, Michael will inherit from AJ,not Sonny. At least not that I know of and if you really think about it, Alexis is the only woman that we know of who actually gave birth to Sonny's child." he said digging the knife deeper.

By now realizing that Elizabeth had Jason so bamboozled he wasn't even listening to her, Carly opened the door with the same flare she had stormed in, reached for the handle and with a dire warning said "Jason, I am feeling all alone and that is never a good thing."

With that, she dramatically pulled the door shut, making it slam as loud as possible. When he didn't come after her in spite of standing in the hallway for a good ten minutes, she let herself into the penthouse that she had shared with Sonny and glared at every single thing inside. "We will see."

Back at Jason's, Elizabeth looked at him and said "Alexis, really is the mother of Sonny's child. Wow, who would have expected that."

"Its a very long story and the only reason I haven't completely destroyed her ability to practice law. Her daughter doesn't deserve to be punished just because her mother does."

Reaching for her hand, he was holding it as they waited for the elevator, while the woman inside the other penthouse, watched through the spy glass in the door and vowed to get Jason back where he belonged if it killed her.

Robin was saddened when Tony and she spoke then the doctor made the call to Jason. When he arrived, holding Elizabeth's hand, she watched as several people greeted the couple and most embraced the beautiful young woman.

"It is so great to ACTUALLY see you." said Monica as she hugged Elizabeth. "I wish I could offer an explanation about what Emily did, but I have no excuses. I just am so sorry."

"Thanks Dr. Quartermaine, but I am not sure that anyone, not even Emily herself understands why she did what she did." she said sadly. "I only hope for your sake that she gets her act together before she gives birth."

Hearing her dad calling out her name, she saw that he was speaking to a tall dark haired man as they came her way. "Elizabeth, this is an old colleague of mine, Dr. Noah Drake. I wanted to introduce the two of you because he was the man who took my place so we could go to Australia to help you."

"Thank you, then, Dr. Drake." Elizabeth said.

"You are quite welcome, I remember you when you were a baby, unfortunately so does my son, even if he doesn't recall your name." he said with a slight chuckle.

When she looked at him like he was nuts, he said "My son attended a medical conference with me when he was about ten and you were around three. You threw your food at him, bit him and then stole his dessert and ate all the chocolate pudding under the table while we searched the entire hotel for you. At the time I joked that the two of you would end up married one day."

Seeing Jason glaring at the man, Jeff said "Patrick swore that he would never marry if Elizabeth was the sort of person girls started out as. You scared him so badly he still has that philosophy."

Hearing a hurmph, they turned only to see Epiphany Johnson standing there with her arms crossed. "Sounds more like the son is following in his father's footsteps to me, Dr. Drake. Or do you think I forgot when I was doing my surgical nurse rotation how I would find you in the closets with a different nurse each time."

There were some chuckles as Noah blushed but Tony asked to speak to Jason about Sonny. "Its fine to speak here."

"There was an altercation today in his room. I should have asked you to permanently ban Carly because she argued with two separate women and then because apparently she felt that we didn't know what we were talking about, didn't tell us that Sonny was awake and argued with him. He coded and now, I am sorry but he won't be waking up unless there are some major advances in brain research. He had a stroke which now has paralyzed his left side and sent him back into the coma."

Jason only shook his head, then looked at Tony. "I knew if I banned her completely she would cause more trouble, so I thought that this was a good compromise. Where was Bobbie, she agreed to be in the room with her at all times?"

"I am sorry, I was unaware of that. I asked to speak to her about a private nursing assignment." said Tony groaning. He knew that the diner was in financial trouble and that while she couldn't work in a hospital with her record, she could do private duty nursing. "She was getting the specifics about the client when Sonny coded."

"Carly is an adult, she shouldn't need a babysitter." said Jason groaning. "Either way, I will arrange for him to go back to the nursing home since we both know that there is no way that Carly will let me shut off the machines, at least not if I want any peace and quiet. I will arrange for a trust to be set up to take care of him."

Jeff and his two former co-workers decided to continue their reunion as Jeff filled them in on all that had been going on. There was stunned shock and on Tony's part disbelief at what the Spencer family had done to Elizabeth.

Then resignation as he got that Jeff was serious. "What on earth was Bobbie thinking, did she know?"

"The specifics, no. This cockamamie story about Helena, yes. She was one of the ones trying to convince Elizabeth she had been brainwashed. Tony, what do you know about this Alexis, Jason doesn't know specifics about her, at least not that he is admitting to me but my wife and mother both believe that she was in hip deep."

Elizabeth was looking through her purse when she heard her name being called, seeing Georgie and a guilty looking Maxie approaching where Jason and she were now down on the docks, she said "Hi, I hear that we owe you a thanks for letting my parents know about the brush fire."

Shrugging the thanks off, Georgie said "Its just a shame though, Lady Jane said that her house is gone, but that they will rebuild. What about the house you were staying at?"

"It was fine, the fire only singed the barns and there is some smoke damage." Jason informed them then saw Maxie looking away then back at them then away again. "Maxie, its okay. I know that you wanted to warn Lucky. I know what you found out when you went there."

Swallowing, she wiped the tears that were falling. "I loved him, I really truly loved him. When Elizabeth was dead, I thought that he would turn to me, but he didn't. But he lied, he said that he thought I was too young, but I am eighteen now and..."

Elizabeth looked at Maxie then mouthed for Jason and Georgie to let them be for a moment. Getting the blond settled on the bench, she said "Maxie, I knew about your crush. I am sorry, I would have told you the truth about Lucky when I realized it, but I never thought it would actually grow into love. I am so sorry you were hurt."

The young girl looked at her then said "You really weren't brainwashed where you. You really didn't love Lucky like that when you came back."

"I was in love with Jason already when Lucky came back, but I had when he first died been so sure that he was my everything. Then as time went on, I realized that I had fooled myself. What I had given Lucky credit for, I had done all on my own. It made me look at his returning as me owing him because I had begged and bargained for his return."

"He kept saying that you were the most important person in his life back then." she confessed. "I wanted it to be me."

"Maxie, Lucky doesn't love me, not even now. He had this idea that he created this me, but he didn't. I am who I was meant to be but in his mind my loving Jason was wrong, so it couldn't be because that meant he wasn't first in my life." she said trying to explain it but not really sure how to.

"I get it, dad talked to me last night." she said wiping away the last of her tears. "He said that helping you that night, the night in the park, that for once Lucky felt like a hero, better than his dad but that it wasn't real. But that for Lucky, if you are strong, you can't worship him. So you have to be weak, that it was why he did what he did to you."

"That's a good way of looking at it. Its why he let you keep your crush without being honest because when he needed something, he..."

"Could use me." she said glumly. "Like with Emily, she hero worships Lucky, even if she loved Nik."

Impulsively hugging Maxie, Elizabeth said "That is part of it, a very big part. Are you going to be okay?"

Thinking on it, then with a shake of her head, Maxie said "Yes, but I have decided that from now on if my dad doesn't like a guy, I am not dating him."

With a smile, Elizabeth said "Sounds like a good plan, but why don't we go and get a milkshake."

Meanwhile up on the wharf, Georgie was speaking to Jason about Australia when a dark haired woman approached with her brother. "Morgan, got a moment?" asked Claudia.

Checking of Maxie and Elizabeth, he stepped a bit away while Johnny distracted the teenager girl. "So, which one are you, Maxie or Georgie?"

"Georgie. Why?" she asked the older boy. "Who are you?"

"Johnny, sorry about this, but my sister wanted to speak to Jason before she left for Italy then onto Greece." he said. "And why, well I knew that you were one or the other of the girls."

Off to the side, Claudia gave him the news. "Cassadine is freaked out, he has been stripped of his company when he refused to honor the marriage. He was also given deportation papers, turns out he is a dual citizen, ironically with Russia, not Greece."

"Has he found out about Laura and Luke yet?" he asked.

"He went to see Lucky today and gave him the news. Also we expedited the blood tests, he was told the baby wasn't his." she said.

"Is it?" he asked.

"I don't know, the real results won't be in for a week. At which point it is up to your sister to tell him that there was a mistake made. My guess, he won't care, she can't offer him enough money to save his company or keep him in the lifestyle he has become accustomed to."

"I know he went to his customers and his suppliers, they have told him to sell up at least thought who didn't move their contracts to ELQ and Jax Enterprises. Will there be enough of a company left for your dad."

"He is just thrilled to be out of the muck, I do expect him to go after a few of the contract that ELQ owns when they are up for rebid." she said with a wicked grin.

"Well, I am sure that eventually he will run into Helena who right about now has learned that Sam is pregnant. My guess is she thinks that it is Nik's, since they had sex. When she learns the truth, who knows what happens there."

Jason wasn't so sure about that one, he didn't want Helena coming back in twenty years with yet another Cassadine. Still, he had no real worries, after all with Luke seemingly gone, she should stay away and he would be watching.

"And Baldwin, what do you want to do about him?" she asked. "He knows where Laura Spencer is, he might be a worry."

"No, not as long as Luke is also out of it. But I will pay him a visit, make it clear that he can visit all he wants, but if he should EVER tell anyone where they are, they will disappear. Plus, I want them to know why I put them where they are in that condition." he said grimly. "I want them to know that this is justice for what they did to Elizabeth."

Returning to where there was a stilted conversation going on between Johnny and the youngest Jones girl, they were waiting for Elizabeth and Maxie when Georgie heard her suggesting that they go get milkshakes.

"Uh, Elizabeth, not a good idea." said Georgie who looked embarrassed but continued. "You should know, Bobbie thinks that now that you are back, you will get Lucky out of this mess. She has been trying to reach Luke and Laura since she arrived at the diner. I heard her talking to one of the waitresses about how you always liked night shifts and that she would have to give them up now that you were back to work them."

There was shock on Elizabeth's face, then sadness as she said to Maxie. "Well I guess that means if we want shakes we have to do to Dairy Queen."

"Elizabeth, we haven't meet, but I am Claudia Zachara, I have heard a lot about you." said the taller woman in the red power suit as she held out her hand. "I wish I was sticking around, I would like to find out just how you got this man to move mountains for you."

Blushing, Elizabeth looked at Jason who had reached for her hand while she was shaking Claudia's with her other one then she said "Love, all I did was love him."

"Well then I am out of luck, I prefer things a lot less messy." she said with a shake of her head. "I leave the moody emo stuff to my brother, here. Johnny."

Elizabeth greeted Johnny but was quickly informed that they had to get back home. "Dad wants to take everything to the new house, never mind that it is in Italy. If I don't want to be sleeping on the floor, I have to get back before my bedroom furniture goes."

"Just buy new stuff." said Maxie.

"Maxie, that isn't very practical." pointed out Georgie.

"She might be right, dad does favor the heavy gothic stuff." said Johnny as they nodded at Jason then the twosome left to return home. Claudia to head to Italy with her dad and Johnny to stay and run the Port Charles office.

"Elizabeth, its time." said Jason looking at his watch. "We have to be at station by one."

Saying goodbye to the Jones girls and reminding them she wanted a rain check on that milkshake, Elizabeth tensed up then took a deep breath and let all the bad stuff out as they drove to the police station.

Inside, Mac asked her who she wanted to talk to first.

"I think Lucky." she said "Emily is going to be the harder one to see."

"I am going to have them go get him, Jason are you going to be in there with us?"

"No." said Elizabeth then asked. "Is there someplace he can watch though?"

"Sure, I have a set up in my office, he can watch from there." said Mac. "Now, I will be in the room so that means his attorney will be there too. That means Alexis Davis."

"Its going to be fine." Elizabeth said her eyes on Jason who gave a weak smile back, worried at how Lucky would react.

Down in the cells, Lucky who didn't believe the rumors about his fiancee after all Elizabeth would never abandon him this long, was told that he was wanted in Interrogation one. "Your attorney is on her way."

Once Alexis was there, Mac entered the room and said. "Alexis, one of the witnesses to his crimes, I told you about. She would like to speak to you, in my office."

Alexis stood, then hesitating she said "You can't remain in here with my client."

"Oh, I am coming too, I wouldn't miss this for the world." said Mac with a mocking expression on his face as he led the way, then opened the door to his office and showed her inside.

"Hello Alexis." was all Elizabeth said as she watched the other woman turn white. When she had sank into the chair against the wall, Elizabeth said "Either convince Lucky to plead guilty or the whole world is going to know that he wanted to have the doctor hypothesize me into letting him rape me. And that you were aware of it."

"But I wasn't, I had no idea that he wanted him to do that, I wouldn't have allowed it. Its why I went to Sonny's old doctor, I knew that Helena had messed with..."

"Who are you trying to convince, Alexis? Yourself? But don't worry, I know that you didn't know about the rape, but you did know what they had done to me, that I no more wanted to marry Lucky than Luke." she said angrily.

"Elizabeth, you don't understand, you must not recall how bad things were." she said fretfully. "There were a whole lot of people in danger, I couldn't let your infatuation with Jason, endanger the chance to take down Helena."

"Alexis, so what, you all took a vote and decided that I was expendable? That what all of you wanted mattered more than my wishes?" she asked while the others in the room remained silent but vowed to make the attorney pay when she weakly said the word yes.

Shaking her head, Elizabeth walked to the door then looked at Alexis and said "I am going in to speak to Lucky, don't you dare enter that room or so help me, I will make sure that you go to jail and your daughter ends up being raised by Sonny and Carly."

Jason waited until Mac and Elizabeth had left, then hit the button to show the other room where Lucky was waiting behind a one way mirror and then said to Alexis. "You should know, I dealt with Nik, Laura, Luke, and that Lucky and you along with my sister are next."

"Jaso-"

"No, enough. There are no words, no excuses that will EVER make what all of you did right. Sonny knew, Alexis, so did Carly. Sonny is suffering, Carly, well her suffering is just beginning. You all decided that Elizabeth didn't matter, my guess is that since I left you all thought I was angry with her and that I wouldn't ask questions when I returned."

When she couldn't even face him, he moved in front of her and said "I love her and left to give her time. But I had people watching over her, guards that Sonny sent away, men who have been working behind the scenes with others I trusted. All of you betrayed both of us, for your own wants. Well guess what, now you pay."

Just then inside the other room, Lucky was shouting Elizabeth's name and telling her that he loved her as she entered the room and stayed out of reach. "Elizabeth? What have they done to you?"

"Don't you mean what am I doing here, shouldn't I be in a drug induced state where I am screaming no in my head while you try to paw me. Lucky I remember everything, even if I couldn't speak of the horrors while they were happening I recall everything."

"But-" Lucky looked at her, then began to cry. "Why are you being so cold? Please, tell me you still aren't under the affects of what Helena did to you?"

"Well Lucky, since she didn't do anything to me, there aren't an affects to still be under. I am perfectly sane, now, as to you. Well if you don't want me to get up in that witness box and testify about what you did to me. What Emily and you put me though, I suggest that you change your plea to guilty. Either way, at the end of your trial, I am leaving town, with Jason."

"Jason?" he asked. "Why? Don't you know, he moved on. He had some stripper living with him while you were gone. After hot stuff like her, like my cousin Carly. Do you really think he is going to want some sexually repressed, locked at the knees no nothing like you?"

"Oddly enough, yes." she said as simply as possible. "Either way, Lucky, you are going to pay for what you did to me. Either in the court of law, or through karma."

"Karma or Jason?" he asked. "Mac, did you hear her, she just threatened me."

"She never issued a threat, Spencer." Mac said. "Elizabeth, is there anything else you need to say to Lucky."

Elizabeth looked at him then said "No, I am done."

Seeing her dismiss him like he was nobody had Lucky realizing that she truly seemed to think she would be able to walk away from him. That was not going to happen, he had been patient, well now it was time to remind her that he had saved her, that she owed him.

"Whatever happened to that sad little broken girl who needed me when she crawled out of the bushes?" he said looking at her like he was disappointed in her. "I miss that person."

"Sorry Lucky, Elizabeth the victim is gone, in her place is the strong young woman who has come to realize that you didn't put me back together, that I did that myself. See, Lucky, your whole problem is that you are weak, so you have to tear others down to make you feel better about yourself. Too bad I am done being your victim."

With that, Mac escorted the stunned man past Elizabeth when he heard her laughing at his last comment. "Elizabeth, what about our permanent lock?"

"Elizabeth, please, listen to me, Jason will never love you like I do."

"You do have that right. And I thank god every single day that Jason doesn't love me like you claim to." she said and saw his hopeful but triumphant expression. "You love only yourself and only love others when you have need of them. Jason, Jason loves me for me, and I have come to realize that I do love myself. I love the Elizabeth I became without you in my life."

Emily was being led up the backstairs, she had seen Lucky being brought up earlier and was expecting to be able to see him so that they could discuss getting to Elizabeth. However when she entered the dark and depressing room, instead she saw Elizabeth standing there.

"Elizabeth, thank god. I am so happy to see you." she said with a wide smile at her best friend.

"Why?" she asked. "Considering that I am testifying against you for what you helped the Spencer family do to me. I only wanted to ask you one thing, Emily."

"Elizabeth, what is this, you are my best friend, you have to know that I only had your best interests at heart." she said puzzled. "If this is about the baby, don't worry, I don't think it is Lucky's. I mean I had sex way more with Nik than the few times with Lucky."

"Best friend?" she asked looking at Emily. "How on earth can you call yourself my best friend after drugging me, after stealing my letter from your brother and his to me. How dare you, you aren't my best friend, more like my enemy. You stabbed me in the back and for what?"

"No,no, you have to listen to me." she said frantically. "I swear, Elizabeth, I didn't mean for you to get hurt. I just... I just well I wanted to fix things. And if Jason had been here, things wouldn't have worked out the right way. You might have left with him and if you did then... Lucky needs you."

"Emily, you are very lucky that you are pregnant or I would be slapping the shit out of you right now. I only came here so that I could look you in the eyes, see if I could find an answer to my questions."

Standing, Elizabeth looked at her then said "Clearly that won't be happening because I don't even think you know the real reason you did what you did to me. You should know, your brother and I are leaving town after your trial, we are going to travel and when I walk out of that courtroom, no matter what is decided, I will cease to remember that you exist."

Emily got that Elizabeth was truly mad but that she would still be willing to help her, that meant a lot. Maybe in time, she would come to see that she had only been trying to help. "Thank you, I am glad you are still willing to help me, even if it is only for Jason's sake."

"Help you?" Elizabeth said looking at her. Then with a shake of her head she said "Emily, I am going to be the state's star witness against you."

With that, she left and met Jason in the middle of the hub, he wrapped his arms around her as she settled her shaking body against him while behind them they heard Emily shouting for Elizabeth as she was being lead back down to her cells.

At Jake's that night which had been closed for a private party after Elizabeth's day had been spent dealing with all who had played a part in her nightmare, Jason asked to speak to her for a moment. "I know that you have your family here, but I would love to take you to Italy, while they prepare for the trial. If you are willing."

Holding out her hand for his, she said "Do me a favor, tomorrow, lets go to the park, with your bike and ask me again, in the same spot where I felt I had to say no. I want a good memory there to replace the one where I foolishly thought I had to say no."

Reaching up to brush her hair off her face, Jason gently pressed a kiss on her lips then said "You should know, when I left you with Jones girls this evening, I spoke with Gail Baldwin."

"She and I spoke earlier too." Elizabeth said "I wasn't sure how to talk to you about what she said. While I agree with some of it, there are other parts, I want to toss out, if you don't mind."

"So we get to renew our more than friendship, slowly moving on to the more part and then in a year, I can ask what I really want to ask you now." he said his intense blue eyes boring into hers.

"Its a promise." she said with a slow grin as she rested her head against his heart which was beating wildly.

Jason spoke to Jeff and Carolyn who were understandable upset but at the same time they knew that while they had lost time with their daughter, Jason and she had been robbed of time as well. With the promise that they would return, they gave their consent to his request.

So early the next morning, after a ride out the cliff roads, Jason pulled up to a parking spot near the park, watched as Elizabeth waved goodbye who her sister who had arrived with her earlier and waited to walk over.

He made the offer to take her anyplace in the world, she said yes and with that, he held her tightly as he said "The jet is ready and waiting, the bike is the last thing that needs loaded. Are you sure?"

"Yes." she answered as they left the park the way that they should have two years before.

Four months later, while they were in Rome they received the news that Carly's attorney had worked out a deal for her after she had ended up charged for what happened to Elizabeth. She had plead medical reasons regarding Sonny.

Trevor who had seen that Sonny's mind was working inside his empty husk of a body had convinced Carly that taking care of him would keep her out of prison. She had agreed, but then learned that if Sonny ever got well she was still facing prison.

So as a result, his will was activated, making Carly wish that she had made different choices in husbands. Jason had insured that Micheal got money, only so that it was dangling in front of Carly, like a ripe piece of fruit in front of a starving person. He truly expected that eventually she would try to embezzle it.

He had heard from the man he had put in charge of Jake's, that she frequently went there for male companionship, and each time she was made to feel more and more alone. Jason hoped that eventually she would free taking what he had set up for Michael, so that she would finally face jail.

As for Sonny, he was only alive via the machines, the man in the body was marking time, waiting for his death.

While in Paris, besides visiting the museums and getting engaged, Elizabeth had a run in with Noah Drake's son Patrick who after an introduction to Dr. Robin Drake had changed his mind, maybe married wouldn't be so terrible after all.

Jason however had gotten the news from back home that Alexis had gotten her finally FU from him. Her daughter Sam had given birth to a child whose father was none other than the father of her own daughter.

Helena had done exactly what he had expected and dumped the child off on her. Then the old lady had gone looking for her grandson, only to end up dead herself.

Nik ended up in Russian, living in an old family farmhouse, living with the realization that he was no longer anyone important and that he had lost everything because of his mother's overwhelming love for his half siblings and mere tolerance of him.

Jason had also gotten the news that Luke had died and that Laura was still alive, debating sending her to Nik, he decided that he would rather keep her where she was.

The day that they had heard about Alexis being stripped of her ability to practice law, then had moved away from Port Charles, Elizabeth and Jason sat down and talked.

He had suggested they return to Port Charles for a visit but that they not make it their own home. "We have the house in Umbria."

"I think that is great, but we should make the visit soon, before I am too large to fly." she said taking his hand and pressing it to her slightly rounded stomach.

"I knew." he confessed then kissed her. "I uh, was emptying the trash in the bathroom and saw the stick."

The two sat there on the balcony of their hotel in London watching the Guy Fawkes fireworks going off when he saw she had fallen asleep. Lifting Elizabeth, carrying her into their room, he went to make a call then crawled into bed with his wife.

Arriving in Port Charles, they went straight to their new penthouse in the highrise building owned by Jasper Jacks which had been prepared by the Zachara staff for them."Johnny, thank you."

"You are welcome." he said reaching down to kiss Elizabeth while watching Jason's eyes narrowing. With a quiet laugh he said "Morgan, relax, I don't chase married women."

"Do you chase any women?" asked a joking Elizabeth. "All work and no play makes Little Johnny a dull boy."

"Little Johnny gets plenty of entertainment." he responded with a wink then said "Even if I had to turn down an offer last week. That Carly woman is hanging out at the bars again."

"Hopefully we won't see her, we are only here so that Elizabeth and I can see our family and our friends." Jason said.

"Its a shame that Georgie is going to miss seeing you, Elizabeth. She went to see her mom in Texas, took the week off work and I am stuck dealing with temps." said Johnny shaking his head.

"Felicia still hasn't come back?" she asked as they all settled in to talk to one another.

"No, Mac let what she did become public. The sleeping with Luke, leaving those keys vulnerable. He wasn't happy. They filed for divorce before Spencer was

convicted in absentia along with his wife and Cassadine." Johnny said.

Johnny continued "Mac isn't hurting too badly, he bought that diner, hired Corinthos father to run it as long as he stayed sober. Seems to be working out."

The next day during a visit with the Quartermaines, Elizabeth heard Emily's voice and regretted that they had stayed this long. Emily had gotten off lightly thanks to Tracy's games. The older woman had been worried about ELQ and Jason taking it over, never knowing that he had no intentions of doing so.

"Elizabeth." she said stiffly as she entered her family's home and felt like an outside. She had since the day her parents had found out Jason and Elizabeth's version of the truth and had refused to accept hers. "What come to ruin my birthday? Or what to rub it in my face that Lucky is gone, without a trace."

"Emily, we only came to give the family some good news, then we are leaving town again." she said looking at her old friend who looked tired and truly like she had once felt while dealing with the Spencers but she had no sympathy, because this was the life she had tried to force Elizabeth into.

"Let me guess, you are married?" she asked.

"Emily, we got married the day after I testified." she told her. "And though I guess they didn't tell you, we told your family. No, we came to tell them something else."

Emily looked resentfully at Elizabeth as she sat like she was the queen pouring tea in her family's living room. "Well, don't let me interrupt."

Just then Mikey came rushing into the room and announced to his grandparents. "Guess what, Uncle Jason bought daddy a new car, said he owedded it to him for blowing up his old one."

AJ and Jason followed at a slower pace then Jason said "And now I never want to hear about it again."

"Of course not, because you can commit crimes and buy you forgiveness, the rest of us have it hanging over us like what we did was way worse." snapped Emily.

"Emily, Jason blew up my car with my permission, sort of." said AJ with a gleam of laughter in his eyes as he recalled his shock when Mac had given him the news back then that his new car was a melted wreck.

"I am so sick of Saint Jason and poor waif Elizabeth." she said as she reached over to grab a cup of tea from the table in front of Elizabeth. "After what she did to my husband, none of you should be forgiving her, but she shows up and all the sudden..."

"Emily, enough." snapped Alan as he looked at his upset daughter. "You were told not to pull this if you wanted to be allowed in this house. You are my daughter but that doesn't excuse your behavior in the past. Now I suggest that either you apologize to Elizabeth and Jason or leave."

Standing, Emily looked at the family in the room and without a word left. "Elizabeth, I am sorry."

"Don't worry, Monica. Like I said, I have always wondered what the heck is going on in her brain." said Elizabeth as she looked at Jason. Emily and Carly were the primary reasons that they lived in Italy in spite of all of their family being here.

That evening after a visit with the Hardy/Webbers, Elizabeth and Jason left Port Charles for almost eight years. In between they had gained three children, successful careers and had come to love Italy but they knew eventually they wanted to go home.

Their family was aging, and while they talked to Lila once a week, they knew that the older woman was now frail. So when the news came that she had passed quietly in her sleep, Elizabeth and Jason grieved for the time they had lost with the wonderful woman and the grandchildren she had only met once.

But they knew that Lila had understood the problems and that she had encouraged them to do what was best for their family. So with a heavy heart they were traveling home to bury the woman who should have had so much more time with her great grandchildren.

The funeral had been short and sweet but most importantly it had been private. There had been a public memorial the day before Jason and Elizabeth had arrived with their brood. Even Emily had behaved but Monica was convinced that was only because she was stunned at the news of Lila's death.

Bracing themselves for the wake that was being held at the Port Charles hotel, they were not surprised at some who had had the nerve to show up. Including Carly who had been rejected by her son then had been horrified to see Jason with four children.

The oldest kid she had been so sure couldn't be his, until he had turned and she had seen Jason's bright blue eyes looking coolly at her from the childish version of Elizabeth's face. It made her want to slap the kid, but she kept her cool until she had heard the second little boy calling out dad and felt her heart stop.

This one, this little boy was what Jason had had to look like when he was born, with his blue eyes and blond hair. Carly had started to approach him when she saw the carriers on the table and the way the entire Quartermaine family were all but bowing in front of.

Hearing the names, Sienna and Christopher, she was not happy to realize that Michael was no longer Jason's only child and that there was no way she would ever get him back now. Standing there, staring into space, Carly could only hear the words daddy repeatedly being said in a childish voice when she heard Jason talking to a woman.

"So, are you sure you want more?" he was asking in low tone but she had always, always been able to hear him no matter how crowded the room was.

"Yes, if only so that maybe someday when we come to see our families, we get to hold our own children." she was answering ruefully.

Leaning down to kiss his wife, Jason missed seeing Carly's face but his security staff saw the woman just stare as Jason told her he loved her.

Emily who had been watching as well, found herself trying to fix things but when she had approached Elizabeth and said "I am sorry, for everything."

"Emily, it is eight years too late for forgiveness. I warned you then, I will forgive, if only for my own mental health, but I will never forget." she said walking away from her sister in law.

Emily looked at her son as they drove home, entered the house and saw her sister in law Lulu making out with some unknown man on her sofa and said "Enough, I have had enough. Whoever you are, leave. Lulu, go upstairs, pack your bags and get the hell out."

"Excuse me, this is my family's home. You can't talk to me that way." she said belligerently.

"Lulu, according to my attorney I can. Now get out." she said pointing at the door. "I have had enough, your family is the reason that my life was so screwed up and you, you are little more than slut. You want marry some rich man and let him take care of you, well guess what, Lulu. The only rich man in town is Dillon, and he already had you and moved on."

"Fuck you." said Lulu as she picked up her coat and left. She missed it as Emily called a locksmith then her lawyer who assured her she was in the right, but reminded her that she had to get Lucky to sign the divorce papers.

"I would but I have no idea where he is this time." she said bitterly. She was stuck in limbo, her husband was gone but thanks to the way he came and left so frequently she couldn't have him declared dead. The only good thing was that they had a huge life insurance policy on him, she could only hope that in time it would pay for after he managed to get himself killed.

Carly left the wake shaking her head in denial. Going first to Jake's, she went upstairs to the old rooms which were now storage offices then back downstairs to pick up a man, any man, she was turned down even after lowering her standards again.

Arriving at the penthouse just as the male nursing assistant told her he had to go, she listened as he told her that Sonny once again had diarrhea, that he had to have the next three days off and left having no idea that that news was the last straw.

With mechanical movements, Carly went to check her husband's adult diaper, upon finding it full, sat down and stared at him then began to cry.

It wasn't fair, she should be the one being lauded as the mother of those children, she didn't deserve to be stuck here, living in this prison. Hearing the sickening sound of Sonny's body releasing even more of a mess, it was more than she could bear as she changed his diaper then went to shower.

Putting on her best outfit and then the diamond earrings that Jason had given her years ago, she went to the balcony and looked around then jumped.

Landing in the water, her neck broken Carly floated away, never being noticed. It was three days when the male nurse entered the penthouse and could smell what could only be decomp. Taking out his phone, he made the call and then went to the house phone and called the police.

Before the reading of Lila's will, Elizabeth went to see Maxie who had called and asked her to stop into her store that was now below Kelly's. "Maxie, why aren't you on your honeymoon?"

"Blame my dad, he had to call Dante back. Did you hear about Carly and Sonny?" she asked as she arranged the mannikin just so.

"That he died and she is missing. Jason thinks she ran because she is still facing jail time for what happened back then." she said as she took the offered cup of tea.

"I think he is right." Maxie then told her why she had called her. "I got a letter, from Lucky. I don't know what to do about it. I told dad, but I am not sure what to do about Emily."

"What do you mean?" asked Elizabeth.

"Lucky somehow ended up in prison as a hitman. He was allowed to write one letter and for some reason, he wrote me. He said in it that he thinks that Emily might let him die instead of fixing things." she said then admitted. "I uh, the problem is... uh, Elizabeth he mailed it two weeks ago and with Robin and my weddings, well I never saw it until I came in today."

Seeing she didn't understand, Maxie said "Elizabeth, Lucky was executed two days ago. Emily is going to blame me."

"Maxie, let your dad handle it." she said then telling her not to feel guilty, left and made a call to Jason. "That bastard got a letter out to Maxie and she is now feeling guilty about Lucky's death."

"I heard." said Jason regretfully as he looked at Mac who was standing there giving him the laundry list of bad news. "Meet me at your old studio, we can go to the reading together."

Agreeing, Elizabeth was almost to the bench when she saw Emily approaching. "I guess that you heard about Lucky."

"Jason just heard about it from Mac." she said.

"What, no sorry for your loss?" mocked Emily.

"I won't lie to you, I could care less that Lucky is dead." she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "I think that the world is now truly a better place with him gone. Emily, I know what he did to you, the money he stole, the affairs, the drugs and alcohol. So don't pretend you are sorry he is dead."

"He was my husband." she said intensely. "No matter what, he was mine. But you, look at you, acting like you are so much better than me. I have to go home and tell my son that his father is death."

"Really? Nik is dead too?" she mocked.

Emily gasped at her comment, most people knew the truth, but they didn't actually admit it. "You have no idea what my life was like."

"Thankfully, you are right. But Emily that life that you think sucks so badly, that is the life you tried to trap me in, so forgive me if I don't feel bad for you. You made your choice with open eyes. Instead of being here, attacking me for not mourning the loss of Lucky, why aren't you with your son, with Lulu who is probably the only person mourning Lucky."

Emily's eyes narrowed as she walked up to Elizabeth and said "If you had only done the right thing for once in your life, instead of abandoning poor Lucky, our lives wouldn't have turned out as badly as they did but now, Elizabeth saw how gullible my big brother was and went for the main chance."

Reaching out to slap Elizabeth, she found her hand caught in her tight grasp as she struggled to free it.

"Okay, that does it. Enough of being nice." with that Elizabeth backhanded Emily across the face. "I didn't trick your brother into anything, we love each other. As for your life, you chose Lucky who you knew was not particularly loyal."

When Emily began to speak, Elizabeth stopped her by pushing her onto the bench. "And Emily, I didn't abandon Lucky, I tried to get him help but he didn't want to do it the hard way, he wanted to use me as a crutch. You only wanted me with Lucky because you know that it was your best way of getting to Nik. Well you had your prince, too bad he turned out to be a toadstool. That wasn't my fault."

"As for helping you, Emily... seriously, you wanted this horrible life to be mine and I wasn't going to be given a choice. Well guess what, Emily, I am a person who had thoughts and made choices of my own. Am I happy with my choices, hell yes, I have a husband who loves me, children I am proud of and a life that pleases me. Don't blame me for your mistakes. Grow the fuck up and face that you did this to yourself."

With that, Elizabeth walked away and met Jason at the studio. "How long until we have to meet with the lawyers?"

"An hour." Jason said and before he could say anything else, found his wife pressing him against the door as she reached down to undo her skirt and to kick her heels off. "Who got your all riled up?"

"Emily." was her answer even as she reached for his belt. Jason let her remove it, then pulled her into a kiss but stopped mere millimeters away, "Well for once, I have something to thank Emily for."

A month later the probate had gone through on Lila's will and Jason and Elizabeth were moving into their new home down the block from her grams and near the Drakes.

Emily was grateful that her grandmother had left her some money because she had ended up needing it. Lucky had changed the beneficiary on the policy that they had purchased together leaving it all to Lulu. She had refused to accept that she got nothing, until the agent had shown her the signature.

At that point, Emily had had also learned that Lucky HAD tried to also leave Lulu the Charles street house, but thanks to their marriage and certain state laws, he had been unable to do so. But Lulu had not taken it well.

Jason was speaking to his brother as his wife entered the room. When he lost all train of though, AJ gave up trying to regain his attention and with a shake of his head walked off to where his girl friend was talking to his parents. "What is it?"

"Jason, I don't know why but Elizabeth just winked at him and he went to lala land." he said with a smirk as he realized that married couple were now missing. "Never mind, I really don't want to know.

Outside on the front porch with most of the guests on the back terrace, Elizabeth and Jason were kissing like a couple of teenagers when she began laughing. Pulling back, Jason asked "What is it?"

"I just had a thought." she said. "I get what your grandmother meant when she left us this house."

Sitting on the porch swing, she pointed out into the early evening sky and said "Can you feel it?"

Closing his eyes as he felt the wind that was lightly blowing through, he opened them and said "The wind."

"Yes, she told me that at some point we would be too old to be riding around on that bike of yours. That living here we would still feel the joy we found by riding."

Hearing the sound of their party, the couple went back inside as they welcomed their guests to their new home even as those guests welcomed them back permanently to Port Charles.

That evening, when their children were just about ready for bed, Cameron groaned when he heard his dad ready the title of the story for the younger three kids. "Daddy, Sleeping Beauty again?"

"Cam, some day, you will understand that fairy tales, well they are based on things that happened in real life. Your mom was a sleeping beauty."

"And a kiss woke her up?" he asked skeptically.

"Cam, a kiss did wake me up." Elizabeth told her son. "Then I woke your dad with a kiss."

"Kisses can't wake you up." he told them.

"Cam, a kiss can be the most powerful thing to exist in this world." said Jason softly as he pressed one against his son's curls as he changed tradition and handed Elizabeth the book so that she could read the story. After all he didn't have to read it, he knew how it ended. The same way all stories should end.

"And they all lived happily ever after!"

The End.


End file.
